Robin - The Boy Mystery
by Psychicwitch
Summary: What I think might happen if the Gotham Academy gang got involved with the Bat-fam. The main characters are Damian and Maps. It doesn't really fit in any specific time in the new 52 canon, I kind of have my own canon in my head when it comes to comics so some details may be wrong. But yeah, enjoy. If you don't, sorry. I didn't write it with the intention of posting it but wth?
1. Chapter 1

**ONE**

It was a Sunday like any other Sunday for Maps and her cohorts. The gang had decided to go out into town for a stroll. Everyone was there: Maps, Olive, Kyle, Colton, Pom, and even Warren had come along for the journey. The boys were in the lead; Kyle and Colton were busy chatting away about something and completely forgot about Colton's sidekick.

The girls followed a little way behind. Maps and Olive giggled about how "adorable" it was that Warren trailed after Colton. Pom stayed quiet; smiling to herself about how the others hadn't noticed Colton giving doe eyes to the totally oblivious Kyle.

They were on their way to the re-opening of Haly's circus. It had been over two years since the Joker had attacked and after 25 agonising months of difficulties in regards to safety regulations, employee dissatisfaction and legal issues the circus' management had finally decided to open Haly's doors and keep them that way for good.

As they joined the queue at the crowded gates into Haly's circus Maps and Olive grabbed each-other by the hands and jumped up and down while squealing. Kyle chuckled at them while Pom and Colton both scolded them for being so embarrassing.

"Ah, let them have their fun guys," Kyle said.

Colton left them alone at the scolding but it didn't stop Pom. "Seriously, stop. Someone will see and my reputation will be ruined."

Maps broke away from Olive. She folded her arms across her chest and jutted her hip out to the side. "You're reputation was ruined when you cried because you were going to get to see Zatanna the magician performing live."

"That never happened." Pom scoffed and turned up her nose.

"Yes it did," Olive said. "We have proof."

Maps produced her phone from her pocket and waved it in the air. "I filmed it."

"Hey, blackmail is my thing." Pom smiled.

The gang laughed and the crowd started moving through the gates en mass. Soon they were through into the circus that had been behind locked doors for so long.

They all gaped at the mesmerising scene before them. Colourful stalls lined the paths serving all varieties of food, snacks, treats and drinks. A half dozen tepees were jotted around the area with signs outside labelled snake charmer, fortune teller, and more that the gang couldn't see. Vibrantly costumed performers showed off their talents with fire, stilts, juggling balls, and various other skills as bunches of onlookers watched in wonder.

But the most wonderful site was the centre tent that towered above everything else. It's red and white stripes glimmered with pride under the bright sun's rays. That was where the main show was taking place.

"It's amazing," Olive said. "This place was a dump a few years ago. You couldn't imagine that now."

"Yeah, it's brilliant," Kyle said. He held his arm out to Olive. "Wanna take a look around?"

Olive reluctantly took Kyle's arm. She wouldn't have done it if Tristen had been there but he'd declined her invitation; he hadn't wanted to be mistaken as one of the acts. "Sure." Olive smiled.

"See you guys later," Kyle said as he led Olive away.

"You lovebirds have got two hours until the show starts," Pom called after them. "Don't be late."

Olive glanced back at Pom with blazing eyes. A few moments later they disappeared into the crowd.

Pom turned to Colton who looked peeved. She smiled smugly. "I told you."

"Yeah, doesn't make it easier though, does it Pom?" His voice was deep and sombre.

Maps and Warren shared looks of confusion.

When Pom next spoke her voice was sympathetic. "You're just gonna get hurt Colton. They'll never like you in the way that you want."

Maps yelped. "I just realised something."

"What?" the other three said in unison.

Maps pointed at Colton. "You like Olive.

"I don't."

"You like Olive. You like Olive," she chanted.

Pom put a hand on her shoulder. "Maps. Stop."

"You like Olive."

Colton stormed away from the group, pushing his way through the crowd. Warren looked quickly at the other two then run after his friend.

"It makes so much sense. Colton used to be so horrible to Olive but it's because he likes her." Maps was jumping up and down in her excitement.

"Shut up Maps." Pom started walking in the direction of the centre tent.

Maps followed quickly to keep up. "I can't wait to tell Olive."

"He only likes Olive as a friend."

"Then what did you mean?"

"Stop talking."

They walked in silence for a few steps.

"You can't tell anyone about what just happened," said Pom. "Especially not Kyle. Or Olive."

"Okay…"

Pom held her pinkie finger in front of Maps' nose without so much as a glance at the other girl. "Promise."

"Fine." Maps twirled her finger with Pom's before quickly letting go.

"Good."

Pom and Maps bought some Cotton candy from one of the vendors to munch on as they wandered around the rest of the circus area. Maps tore off a piece and shoved it in her mouth. "Mmmm," she mumbled as the sugar melted on her tongue.

They made their way into the fortune teller's tent and had their palms read. They both giggled about how Maps was going to meet her future husband within the next month and Pom was going to have ten marriages before having one that lasts.

"She was a fake," said Pom. "You can tell because she was looking at her notes all the time."

Maps agreed. "Hey, look." She pointed somewhere in front of them.

"Where?"

"There." Maps jabbed her hand at the air. "Isn't that Damian Wayne?"

"I dunno what the kid looks like. Oh I see." Pom spotted the boy who looked about Maps' age. He did look like Bruce Wayne. He was with another boy a little older than Pom, he also looked like a Wayne.

"It is." Maps clapped her hands together in front of her grinning face.

"So?"

"I'm gonna say hi."

"Do you even know him?"

Maps zoomed off with Pom trailing at a snail's pace in her path.

"Damian," Maps said when she reached him. Damian didn't turn around.

"Someone wants you," said the older boy.

"There are many people called Damian, Drake. How do you know they are specifically asking for me?"

"Well, she's stood right next to you."

"Damian Wayne?" Maps asked.

Damian rolled his eyes at the other boy and turned to face Maps. "I don't know you."

"I recognise you from somewhere," the older boy said rubbing his chin.

"I know him," Maps pointed at Damian. "But I don't think I know you. Sorry."

"Well, I'm Tim," the older boy said. "I'm Damian's brother."

Damian scoffed. "He's not my brother."

"I'm adopted. Damian hasn't accepted me yet."

"Oh, hi." Maps held out a hand for Tim to shake. "I'm Maps.

Tim smiled and shook her hand while Damian muttered something under his breath about how he will never accept Tim as a brother.

"This is Pom," Maps gestured to Pom who had just joined Maps. "She's pretty cool."

"Tim." Tim pointed at himself for Pom's sake. Then he put a hand on Damian's head who shoved Tim's hand away at the touch. "This is Damian.

"Hi." Pom gave the boys a half-assed wave.

"I don't mean to sound rude but Maps and Pom aren't names that I've heard before."

Maps laughed. "My parents called me Mia but my friends call me Maps 'cause I make awesome Maps. They're so awesome that Robin even stole some because they were so awesome."

Pom put a hand over Map's lips to stop her from fangirling in front of the boys. "There she goes again, on about her maps, hehe."

Tim raised an eyebrow at Damian but said nothing. Damian looked away from Tim.

"Pom is short for Pomeline," Pom said.

"Oh," Tim said. "So how do you know him?" He gestured to Damian.

"Me and Damian went to school together for a few days," said Maps.

"I don't recall that." Damian glared at the ground as if he could make it swallow him up. His cheeks were flushed red.

"But our hands got stuck together and we saved each-others' lives and you gave me a…"

"Oh alright, I remember, okay?" Damian scowled at Maps but it wasn't very intimidating to the girl because his cheeks were like angry strawberries.

Tim burst out laughing. "How did your hands get stuck together? How does that even happen?"

"Don't say anything more." Damian said to Maps.

"Oh, I remember now," Tim said. "Damian hasn't stopped talking about you since it happened."

"Aw, that's adorable," Pom said in her signature monotone voice with just a hint of interest.

"You shut your lying mouth, Drake."

"'Oh, Maps is just the sweetest girl I've ever met,'" Tim mocked in a high pitch girly voice. "'Tis such a shame to have been parted from her. I do so hope that I get to see her again.'"

Maps and Pom sniggered.

"That's it, Drake," Damian said. "You're dead."

"'My heart shalt be broke if I never set eyes upon her again.'"

"So help me father, I will end this miserable sods life right here if he doesn't get lost." Damian thumped Tim on the shoulder.

Tim's smile fell. He rubbed his shoulder. "Anyway, I'm gonna wish Dick good luck and try to convince him that his surprise act is a bad idea."

"His surprise act is a good idea. I suggested it."

"For Dick's sake, I hope you're right."

"-tt-, I'm always right."

"Sure you are." Tim turned to the girls. "I'm sorry but I've gotta go somewhere. It was lovely meeting you. Maybe I'll see you around." He left but not before taking advantage of the chance to mess with Damian's hair.

Damian cursed under his breath.

"You don't really like your brother, do you?" Maps asked.

"He's not my brother. And I hate him but he's not the worst of them."

"When he said Dick, you meant Dick Grayson, right? He owns the circus?" Pom asked, feigning disinterest. Maps knew better than to be fooled by Pom's cool façade; she'd been talking about this Dick Grayson guy for weeks, ever since she'd decided Haly's circus was her new passion.

"Yeah. He's my brother."

"So Dick's your brother but Tim's not even though they're both adopted by your dad?" Maps asked.

"Yes."

"That's confusing."

"-tt-, Dick's useful. Tim's useless. Jason's stupid."

"Jason?" Maps asked.

"Doesn't matter."

"Is it true that you wouldn't stop talking about me?" Maps clasped her hands in front of her mouth to hide her grin.

"No, Drake was teasing me. To be honest with you Mia I had completely forgotten about both you and our altercation until now." Damian watched her carefully as he spoke.

"Oh," said Maps.

Pom glared at the boy with her mouth gaping open. She was as much at a loss for words as Maps.

"Now if you excuse me, you are wasting my time. I am needed elsewhere." Damian disappeared.

Pom put an arm around Maps's shoulders and awkwardly pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry about that jerk, Maps. You won't have to see him again."


	2. Chapter 2

**TWO**

After grabbing some refreshments the two girls re-joined their friends just outside the tent where the main show that was to open the circus for good was taking place. Of the six of them, only Kyle and Olive looked like they'd had a good time. The not-couple were sharing a box of popcorn.

"Why do you all look so down?" asked Olive as she munched on popcorn.

She was answered with various grunts and negations.

"Okay, if you don't want to talk about it let's just go inside." Olive grabbed Maps by the hand and led her and the others into the tent.

At the entrance to the tent they brandished their tickets and showed them at the miserable looking clown who waved them past without even checking. "Enjoy the show," he said in a tone of boredom.

The group settled down in their seats which were in the centre, three rows from the front. They slid along to the middle of the bench. Maps found herself in between Olive and Pom; on the other side of Pom sat Kyle then Colton then Warren.

A few minutes later Maps was dismayed to see who was sitting in the row in front of them. It was none other than Damian Wayne who was joined by Tim Drake who she'd met earlier, Bruce Wayne who she recognised from TV, and some old guy. Maps felt as if her chest had just gained ten tonnes.

"Oh no," Pom hissed in Maps' ear.

Maps gave Pom a disgruntled shrug and then glanced at Olive whose mood had gone from peaceful to wrathful in the few seconds it had taken Bruce Wayne to appear.

"I am dismayed that you chose to sit in these peasant seats father." Maps overheard the youngest complaining.

"Dick wanted us to sit here," Bruce Wayne said to his son. He put a hand round the boy's shoulders and tried to push him onto the bench. Bruce gave up and sat down himself.

"Quit complaining Damian," said Tim taking a seat beside Bruce.

"-tt-, unlike you I have class, Drake."

"Unlike you I have manners."

"Boys, must you pick a fight now," the old man spoke for the first time. Maps was surprised to hear he had a snooty British accent that Maps couldn't help grinning at. The old man had himself settled on the other side of Damian who was still standing. "Please sit down Master Damian. The show's about to start."

Damian sat down with reluctance.

"I'm sorry Alfred but Damian started it."

"You were the one who tried to command me to stop venting my frustrations, Drake."

Maps noticed that not one of the four looked at the others while they spoke except from the old man who watched the others with eager attention; it was very odd.

"Not now Tim," Bruce said.

"You see how unfair this is, right?" Tim paused but when no one answered he continued. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot. Damian can't do anything wrong."

Bruce sighed through his nose but it was louder and longer than any normal sigh. "I'm not having this discussion right now Tim. Please be quiet."

Tim looked up at the ceiling and slouched in the bench. "Favouritism," he mumbled.

"That's right; I'm the favourite because I'm the best." Damian folded his arms smugly. "You, Drake, are the worst."

Maps found herself amazed at how arrogant Damian was being. She'd remembered as him as kind and heroic when she thought back to how they met but now she wasn't so sure if she'd only imagined him being that way; today was proving her thoughts true.

"Damian, Tim, please. You know I don't have a favourite son."

"That's because you only have one to choose from, father."

"I have four, Damian."

"If any of the rest of us had done the things he'd done you'd throw us out." Tim turned to look Bruce in the eye for the first time.

"That's not true." Bruce returned his stare.

"Case and point: Jason."

"-tt-, you're acting like a petulant child, Drake. What's gotten into you? Oh, I forgot, you're always like this." Damian scoffed.

"We'll talk about whatever it is that's on your mind later and in private," Bruce said ignoring the youngest Wayne.

Tim grumbled something but went back to staring at the empty performance space which was concealed by a fire curtain that encircled it.

Once they'd been quiet Maps hissed "weirdoes" into Pom's ear.

"I couldn't agree more." Pom snorted like a pig.

Olive looked towards the other two, trying to figure out what they were talking about, but gave up when she realised they probably weren't going to explain.

Maps leaned into Pom's ear again and whispered. "We should investigate them. Maybe they have some dark family secret like they're in the court of owls or something."

"That's a great idea, Maps." Pom rolled her eyes. She didn't even try to be quiet.

At the sound of Maps' name Damian glanced around to the row behind. Maps and Pom both caught him looking.

"Hi, Damian," Maps flounced with a malicious wave.

"Uh, hi."

When Damian spoke the other three turned to look around. Bruce spotted Olive and smiled at her. "Hello there, Olive. I didn't see you before."

The other three turned away but not before Tim gave Pom wink.

"Hi, Mr Wayne," Olive said with the loathing seeping through her voice. She managed a smile but it looked sinister to Maps; Maps imagined Olive making that look as she was eyeing up Bruce to murder him.

"How are you?"

"I'm good thanks, Sir. You?"

"Wonderful. Well, enjoy the show." Bruce Wayne turned to face the front as the sound of a tinny trumpet fanfare blasted through the speakers. There were a few groans from the audience at the poor sound quality but most people started clapping which died down after several seconds.

The lights dimmed in the audience and the bright yellow stage lights went up on the curtains. Then the curtains withdrew to reveal the stage. On it were various circus apparatus waiting to show off the performers talents but there was no one on stage to use it.

A few moments later a handsome young man cartwheeled onto the stage wearing a full-length blue bodysuit. He landed centre stage with elegant grace to a chorus of clapping and hooting. Once in the centre he bowed low to the ground. He stood upright and beamed at the audience. "It's a pleasure to welcome you all, the good folks of Gotham city, to the re-opening celebration of Haly's circus. It's taken us a while but finally Haly's circus is delighted to be able to open its doors and welcome you to enjoy the hopefully many years of stunning shows from our talented performers. So without further ado, please put your hands together for the opening of Haly's circus. For our first act please welcome daring Dan, the fire eater." There was a round of applause from the audience and the young man bowed again before moving off stage.

A man dressed in red carrying two burning torches came onto the stage. His movements were both graceful and powerful and the way he controlled the flames had the audience both in complete awe and absolute uncertainty.

After daring Dan there was a group of gymnasts who performed a dazzling routine with ribbons and clubs. Then there was a magic show by Zatanna which had Pom on the edge of her seat trying to memorise every incantation. After that a breath-taking trapeze act from the guy who'd introduced the show, who revealed himself to be the last of the Flying Grayson's and Haly's circus' new manager. Anyone who'd been looking would have noticed Bruce Wayne paralysed throughout his entire performance but all eyes had been captivated by Dick so his fear was overlooked. He was followed by a group of dogs doing impressive tricks. Then there was a clown performing various tricks and jokes. Then a contortionist and various acrobats. And to finish the show all the performers came back on stage to give their bows to a massive round of applause and a standing ovation.

The crowds filed out with high spirits. It was the first time in months that an event so large and public in Gotham city had gone untouched by criminals but maybe the threat that the Justice League might be guarding such an event had kept any do-badders away.

"That was sooooo cool!" Maps shouted at her brother over the excitement of the rest of the audience."

"Yeah, it was," Kyle said. He guided his little sister towards the exit with a hand on her back as they followed the rest of the group. "Especially the was that guy was flying on the trapeze.

"Nah, the best bit was the doggies."

"You're both wrong," Pom said, turning around to face the pair. "The best bit was Zatanna."

Olive agreed with Pom and Colton with Kyle. When he didn't offer an opinion Maps asked Warren which he enjoyed most.

"Oh, uh," Warren said. "I like the dogs. They were cute."

"Yes, yes they were," Maps said. "We need a seventh opinion to find out which was truly the best."

The rest of the gang agreed with her but never managed to find that seventh opinion.


	3. Chapter 3

**THREE**

It was about two weeks after the trip to Haly's circus that Maps received a phone call from Damian Wayne. She probably wouldn't have picked up if she'd known it was him but she hadn't known the number and Maps could never leave a call unanswered if she didn't know who was on the other line; her detective brain just wouldn't let her.

"Hello," she said chirpily. "This is Maps Mizoguchi. How can I help?"

"Hello Maps." Maps immediately recognised the obnoxious voice on the end of the line even though she'd only met its owner twice.

"How did you get my number?" Maps snapped.

There was a pause. "It's not hard to track a number down. Yours was particularly easy. You have it on your Facebook profile for the whole world to see. You should check your privacy settings."

Maps resisted the urge to hang up and throw her phone across the room. Instead she took a deep breath and decided she wouldn't let him get the better of her. "What do you want?"

"Nothing from you." There was an infuriating silence in which he refused to explain what he meant. Maps grew more and more peeved until she couldn't take it anymore and broke it.

"Well, then why did you phone me?"

"Because Father made me. He found out about what I said to you and said I must apologise."

"Great." Maps was trying hard to sound as sarcastic as she possibly could.

"He said I shouldn't treat girls like that even if I don't like them. And just so you know, I don't like you and I meant what I said. You are also very annoying and overall frustrating to be around. Father made me call you so I had to. So please except this apology and we can both move on with our lives."

"Wow, that was so sincere."

"You sound unimpressed. Just say you accept the apology and neither of us have to speak to each other again."

Maps left a bit of silence before answering. "I can't accept an apology that you don't mean."

"You are, as the kids would say, such a stick in the mud."

"You're an asshole. And no one says that."

"It's not like I said anything that bad to you."

"It was still mean and I don't forgive you."

Damian ignored her. "I am going to hand the phone over to my father. Just tell him you forgive me."

"No."

There was no reply from Damian. Maps waited a few moments and heard the voice of a man, Damian's father. "Hello, is this Mia?"

"It's Maps."

"Sorry, my mistake. This may seem like an odd question to ask you but I'd like your honest answer. Do you feel Damian's apology was adequate?"

Maps paused to think for a moment. If she said yes she'd be done with him but that meant she'd never get the chance to see if the first version of Damian that she'd met still existed. Maps conjured up an image of the mean, imposter Damian keeping the nice Damian locked away in a castle and her having to ride in on a white horse to save him. "No," she said. "I don't."

"Thank you, Maps."

Maps heard mumbling on the other end of the line then the raised voice of Damian although it was still a distance from the phone. "This is stupid, father."

The phone was transferred back to Damian who spoke back to Maps. "Why didn't you just say yes?"

"Because I don't like lying."

"Well, great. Now I have to ask you to come to a Wayne family gala this weekend."

Maps felt her heart thud against her rib cage. She'd always wanted to see what a Wayne family gala was like. "Really?" She couldn't keep the elation out of her voice. "Go on then."

"-tt-, will you come with me to a gala my father's hosting this Saturday? It's for the make-a-wish foundation and you must come dressed as a Superhero."

"Of course! I would love to!" Maps regretted sounding so eager.

"-tt-, Alfred will pick you up from the academy at 7. Don't be late."

"Alfred?"

"My butler."

"You know this is a really weird way of asking me on a date, right?" Maps giggled.

"It's not a date."

"Sure." Maps couldn't stop grinning and she cursed herself for being so happy about the prospect of having to spend time with Damian Wayne. "And I'm coming as Robin so you can't."

"I wasn't planning on it anyway." He hung up the phone.

Maps squealed and cuddled it tight to her chest before leaping up and fishing her Robin costume from Halloween out of the cupboard. She'd been longing for a chance to wear it since she hadn't been allowed to at Halloween due to the ban on Robins.

None of Maps' friends agreed that going to a Wayne family gala as Damian's date was a good idea when she told them one lunch while they were eating pizza.

"That's a stupid idea," Pom said.

"Why?" Maps asked. "I can use this unique opportunity to figure out what secret they're hiding."

"We don't even know if they have a secret." Colton said between mouthfuls of pizza.

"And that boy was mean to you," Olive said. Her red eyes were fixed steadily on Maps which made the younger girl feel a little intimidated.

"What if he stands you up?" Pom asked. "Which is what he'll probably do."

"Guys, I don't think all the Wayne's are in on some secret plot to ruin Maps." It was the first time Kyle had spoken up in the situation; which wasn't really all that surprising because he didn't speak all that much. "And she really wants to wear that Robin outfit she made."

"Thank-you, dear brother."

"Yeah, but Damian still sounds like a jerk," said Maps. "And I don't trust Bruce Wayne, not at all."

"Boys are mean to girls they like, and vice versa." Kyle shrugged. "And Maps hasn't done anything to make any of the Wayne's plot some sabotage against her."

"It's still a bad idea." It had turned into a conversation between Olive and Kyle and it was becoming apparent that they weren't really talking about Maps anymore.

"No, it's not really…"

"Oookay guys," Maps said. "I'm gonna go no matter what you say."

"Well, bring us back something interesting about them," Pom said. She seemed disinterested.


	4. Chapter 4

**FOUR**

Saturday came around quicker than Maps had been prepared for. The whole day of she spent questioning her decision. At 6.30pm she was just about to phone Damian to tell him she wasn't going when she heard an impatient rapping on the door.

Olive, who'd been reading on her bed, looked up Maps, who'd been pacing, with a question in her eyes. "Who's that?" she asked.

Maps shrugged and made her way to the door. She pulled it open and behind it stood a rather miserable and embarrassed looking Damian Wayne. He was dressed up as the new Superboy; he looked quite handsome to Maps whose cheeks had reddened when she saw him.

"I love your costume," Maps said a little too excitedly for her liking.

Damian looked her up and down and his embarrassment turned into a look of confused disdain. "I can't say the same about yours. Why aren't you dressed?"

Maps was at a loss for words. Olive answered for her from her bed. "You're half an hour early. You can't expect a girl to be ready half an hour earlier than you said."

"-tt-, who's that?" Damian's eyes widened just a little.

Maps opened the door wide to reveal the rest of the room and Olive sitting in it. "That's Olive, she's my best friend. And my roomie."

Olive gave a little wave to Damian but then went back to pretending to read while watching them out of the corner of her eye.

Damian's eyes twitched back and forth between the two girls for a brief moment before his lips set themselves in a false smile. "A pleasure to meet you."

Olive gave Damian a thumb up without looking up from her book.

"How long do you need to be dressed?"

Maps shrugged. "Ten minutes?"

"Great, I'll meet you in the car. It's the black limo."

Olive looked up from her book. "Why don't you wait outside the door? Then you can both walk out together."

Damian rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll wait out here."

Maps grinned at him as she closed the door on his face.

Fifteen minutes later, after having to listen to the muffled sounds of girlish squealing and giggles through the door, it opened to reveal Maps dressed in a rather impressive Robin suit.

"What do you think?" Maps asked.

"-tt-, it could do with some work," Damian said with a smirk.

Maps' face fell. She walked through the door and slammed it behind her. "Let's just go." She powered down the corridor.

Damian followed in a stroll; he managed to look cool and unruffled while keeping up with her. He was quite a bit taller than her now so it didn't take too much effort to match her pace for him. Maps, on the other hand, was trying hard to stay ahead which wasn't working all that well.

Damian shoved his hands in his pockets. "It's the boots. Robin's are green not black.

Maps quickened her pace even more until she was almost running. "They always look black on the recordings and when I met him they looked black."

"Maybe you should get your eyes checked because when I met him they were green."

Maps stopped. It took Damian a couple of paces to realise and come to a stop himself.

"You've met Robin?"

"-tt-." Damian curled his lips into a small smile. "Many times."

"Oh, you're such a liar." Maps resumed walking but this time with a normal pace.

Damian walked beside her. "Where do you think I got that batarang I gave you from?"

Maps giggled. "I thought you were Batman. I tried forever to prove it but you were just too much shorter."

"Ha…The mask is spot on though."

"Thanks." Maps blushed. "I made it myself."

Damian nodded.

They walked in silence until they were in the car park and Maps spotted their ride. It was a black limousine with tinted windows and a personalised number plate that said ' _W4YN3'_ on it.

Maps squealed and ran up to the car. She ran a hand over its silky surface and closed her eyes in bliss. She pinched herself to check she wasn't dreaming.

The front window rolled down and out stuck a head that Maps recognised from the Circus opening. "You must be Miss Mizoguchi, I presume?"

Maps stopped herself from fangirling. "Call me Maps. You must be Alfred."

The old man nodded. "Indeed I am, Miss Maps. I am your chauffer for this evening. I must say, I love your costume."

"Thanks."

Damian arrived at the car. He looked from Maps to Alfred in silence before opening the rear door and gesturing for Maps to hop in. Maps did just that. Damian followed and shut the door behind him.

As they were doing up their seatbelts Alfred spoke again. "I see Master Damian does have _some_ manners. It's a pity they don't surface more often."

Damian crossed his arms and sunk into his seat. "Shut up and drive, old man. We don't pay you to talk."

Alfred chuckled and pulled off. Damian stared out the window for the whole journey. No one spoke.


	5. Chapter 5

**FIVE**

Maps had never seen Wayne manor from closer up than behind the large steel gates that led into the mansions driveway. Kids at school always wondered what the house looked like up close and only guessed at what it was like inside. A small few always boasted about how their parents had been to galas at the Wayne's but none of the kids had ever gotten a good look for themselves. Maps was the first. Man, her classmates would be so jealous if they could see her now.

Alfred drove the car up to the front door of the house and pulled up. He exited the car. When Maps went to do the same Damian grabbed her hand then let go quickly as if her touch had seared his skin. Maps looked towards him and he shook his head at her with his bottom lip stuck out and his hand tucked safely under his armpits.

Before Maps could ask him what that was about her door opened and Alfred gestured her out the car. Maps slid out and thanked him.

As Alfred went around the other side to let Damian out Maps took in the manor. It was a beautiful building, Maps had expected as much. What she hadn't expected was the gothic influence on the building that was only found in the oldest buildings in Gotham. It looked like Dracula's castle. Maps thought it was awesome.

Damian strolled up to Maps and past her up the steps to the mansion. As Damian knocked on the door Maps heard the car pull away; she turned around just in time to wave at Alfred, who nodded back to her with a smile, before the car disappeared around the side of the house.

The heavy dark-wood door swung open with a tired creak. Behind it was the smiling face of Damian's eldest brother, Richard Grayson. Maps recognised him from the circus opening only this time he was dressed as the Flash.

"Hey guys," he said. He ruffled Damian's head as he pushed past him into the house. "You must be Maps. Please, come in." He pulled the door open wider for her.

Maps hesitated then made her way shyly into darkly lit hallway of the house.

The door slammed behind her and Maps nearly jumped out of her skin. Richard let off a laugh. "Sorry, the door does that sometimes."

Maps laughed nervously.

"Anyway, I'm Richard but everyone just calls me Dick." He led her down the corridor lined with paintings and a couple of mirrors.

"That's an unfortunate name," Maps croaked.

"Ha, I guess you could say that. But I like it. It reminds me of my parents; they always used to call me Dick unless I did something bad. Do your parents call you Maps?"

"No, it's always Mia with Mum and Dad." Mia was beginning to feel less nervous. Dick was quite relaxing to talk to in comparison to Damian and he seemed so genuinely friendly.

"Ah, I see." Dick led them down a corridor to the left.

"Where did Damian go?" Maps asked. "And where're the other guests?"

"The guests will be here about half sevenish. That's when the party's supposed to start. Damian rushed off to get you early, he was very eager to get out the house and see you." Dick chuckled. "I think Damian went to get his dog."

"Dog?" Maps asked. "He has a dog?"

"Yeah, Titus, he has to usually stay away from guests as most are scared of him."

"I love dogs. What kind is he?"

"He's a Doberman," Dick said hesitantly.

Maps stopped; her eyes widened; she looked at Dick. She clapped her hands in front of her mouth and began jumping up and down. "I love Doberman's. They're my favourites!"

Dick let out a laugh of relief. "Well, if that's the case maybe we can find Damian before he walks him.

Dick led her through the mansion at a brisk pace. Maps didn't have enough time to take it all in so made a mental map so she could check it out later without getting lost. Before she realised, they were in the garden. Maps spotted Damian and his dog. Titus was off the lead bounding around the garden chasing a ball.

"Damian!" Dick called.

Damian spun round. Maps couldn't see his eyes clearly from that distance but she was certain he rolled her eyes and tsked. Damian said something to the dog and Titus came bouncing towards the two of them. Maps was worried if he jumped at them he'd knock them over with the speed he was going but he slowed down just in time and approached them calmly with a waggling tail.

Dick patted Titus on the head. Maps bent down to see Titus' face better. "You're so cute," she said, smothering him with tickles.

"Hey Damian, take Maps with you."

Maps didn't look up to see Damian's inevitable frown at this command. Maps was happy Dick had asked though, she loved walking dogs. Damian whistled and Titus went back to his side.

"You wanna go?" Dick asked Maps as she stood up.

"Yeah, okay."

"Go on then." Dick patted her on the back.

Maps jogged to catch up with Damian and Maps was surprised when Damian didn't look angry at her. He looked at her thoughtfully as they strolled through the gardens and Titus bounded back a forth through the flower beds. Maps didn't notice Damian staring for a while, she was too busy watching Titus, but when she turned to say something she caught him.

Damian didn't look away, he just lifted his nose to look snobbish.

"What?" Maps asked.

"You like dogs?"

"Yes, of course. They're fluffy and cute."

"And you like Titus?"

"He's the cutest."

"Hmph, I guess that makes your company somewhat more bearable than most other peoples."

"Thanks, I guess?"

"It's a compliment." Damian looked away from her.

"So why didn't you tell me you have a dog?"

"In our two brief meetings that we've had? I guess it never came up."

Maps giggled. "I forget we've only met twice."

"It feels like we've known each other longer."

"Yeah…"

"Maybe I was a little harsh on you before. It's not that I forgot about the first time we met, it's just that being around people like Timothy bring out the worst in me."

"What's your excuse for the phone call?"

"Remind me what I said."

"You said you didn't like me, I was annoying and 'overall frustrating to be around.'"

"Hmm, you are annoying but I didn't really mean the other two. I was annoyed at father at the time of that phone call."

"I guess that was better than the last apology."

"You forgive me?"

Maps laughed. "No way in hell. Not when you haven't even said sorry."

"I must have forgotten."

"Ha ha, hilarious."

Damian gave Maps a hint of a smile. He looked like he was about to speak but then Titus came up to him and nudged him in the arm. "Show me where it is, Titus." Damian fished a poo-bag out of his pocket.

Titus led them over to the spot where he'd defecated. Damian bent down and grabbed the poo in the bag in one swift, clean motion. "All done, let's go back."

Titus whined.

"I know boy, but it's only for a few hours." Damian rubbed the dog's head and looked into his eyes. "I'll come see you every half an hour. Go back to the house."

Damian stood up and wiped his trousers down with the hand not holding Titus' warm waste. "Let's go back."

Maps nodded and followed his lead back to the house.

As they walked back Maps was able to take in the surroundings more easily. The gardens around the house were beautiful; decorated with blooming plants, large trees and vibrant grass, they must stretch out for miles. "Growing up, I thought my house was big. This is just a whole new level. You're so lucky to live here."

"Yes, I am," Damian said.

"That was very modest of you," Maps said surprised by his honesty.

"It's true though… I've been wondering—"

"—About what?"

"Let me finish. You are so impatient."

"Sorry, go ahead."

"Maps!"

Maps said nothing.

"Anyway, I was wondering… if maybe you'd like to ' _hang'_ with me again sometime."

Maps laughed.

"What have I done now?"

"Nothing, it's just funny. Sometimes you sound like an old man when you use words like 'hang.'"

"Great, so I'm an old man now?"

Maps laughed again. "It's quite funny actually. And maybe I would like to 'hang' with you again."

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure, we could go see a movie or bowling."

"Do you talk in the cinema?"

"Only a little."

"Then we'll go bowling. But we must be getting to the gala, the guests will be arriving soon and I have to hide Titus."


	6. Chapter 6

**SIX**

The gala itself was cool at first but Maps quickly tired of getting called cute by the older guests. At the beginning she and Damian had enjoyed looking at the costumes; Damian made fun of the bad ones while Maps adored the good ones. But then Maps had lost Damian to the daughter of some high class socialite about half an hour in to the evening. It was boring without him and Maps found herself a tad jealous of the girl when she caught him conversing politely with her while they were dancing together.

Maps wanted to find someone else she knew, or at least recognised, other than Damian but it was very difficult. She spotted Dick a few times but every time he was with a pretty red-head dressed as Supergirl and she didn't want to interrupt because they looked so happy talking and dancing with each-other. She also saw Bruce Wayne but he always had a bunch of women surrounding him; he was dressed as Superman which probably had something to do with Damian's choice of costume. Maps didn't want to speak to Bruce Wayne anyway; he seemed so aloof all the time, like his mind was always someplace else. Maps couldn't find Alfred anywhere, or Damian's other adopted brother Tim so she gave up trying and decided to amuse herself.

She decided to explore the manor with reference to the map she'd created in her head earlier while speeding through the corridors with Dick. But Maps soon tired of gazing at the paintings that hung on the walls of aristocrats she didn't know and the expensive looking pottery and artefacts that were displayed in each corridor. So, Maps tried to remember the way back to where Damian had left Titus but ended up getting completely lost.

She'd ended up in the oldest part of the building and it was clear that it hadn't been as well maintained as the rest of it. The once-red carpets were faded and dusty and cobwebs drooped lazily from the tiny chandeliers that remained unlit. The only light source was the glimmer of moonlight through the dirty windows. And there was no sound other than the girl's panting and a grandfather clock ticking far away; the music from the party was nowhere to be heard. And, it was terribly cold; someone had forgotten or neglected to update the heating in this wing.

Maps wrapped her arms around herself and tried to calm herself by breathing in and out in a steady pattern, her warm breath froze in the still air. She could feel the cold tickling her lips and began to tremble. She needed to find a way out. She fished in her pocket to find her phone but it wasn't there. It must have fallen out while she was exploring.

At that point, Maps wanted nothing more than to go back the way she came but some urge nagged at her to go deeper into that part of the house. Maps took a step onwards. She heard something shuffle behind her.

Maps span around to face the sound. A few moments later she convinced herself that it was only a rat and continued onwards.

Then she heard it again.

Maps could feel eyes boring into her back. She turned slowly and gulped down her fear.

She thought she could see a tall figure swaying slightly but it was too dark, it was impossible to tell. Nothing happened for a few moments but then the figure began trudging towards her. Maps felt her heart drop. It was some kind of Zombie monster Ghost. She didn't know what to do except run so she did exactly that.

She legged it through unknown corridors that seemed to get more and more dishevelled. Heavy footfalls behind her warned her that her pursuer was still tailing her. But then she heard the monsters footsteps quieten and she began to feel safer. That was, until she came to a dead-end.

Maps kicked the wall in frustration. There was no way out now, she was going to have to defeat the beast or die trying.

A few seconds later the figure came into view and they began howling with laughter. A bright light slammed into Maps. The beast had wounded her with a torch.

"Stay back," Maps said. She made, what she thought, was a good fighting stance. "I'll fight you."

The laughing continued. Her monster sounded like he was in hysterics. "Oh my God," He said between laughs. "Who the hell even are you, kid?"

Maps tried to get a glimpse of what he looked like but the light was blinding her. "Please, stop shining that light at me. I'm gonna go blind."

The light stopped glaring at Maps; instead he pointed it at the wall next to her. "You know you're trespassing, right? You a gate-crasher?" He flicked his eyes up and down assessing her costume and laughed. "…Robin."

Maps gave her eyes a few seconds to adjust. The monster was not, in fact, a monster. He looked to be in his early twenties and was relatively handsome. His hair was black but there was a white streak in it, Maps thought that looked really cool. "I like the streak in your hair, it looks super awesome."

"Seriously, kid. Get out before someone less forgiving than me finds you."

"Hey, I was invited to the gala. I just… went looking for Titus and got lost."

"Titus, you mean the brat's dog?

"If by 'the brat' you mean Damian, then yes. But it's not very nice to call people 'brats'."

"Well, if you're Damian's friend I guess I should just leave you here to get eaten by bats." The man laughed and strolled back down the corridor.

Maps caught up to him. "I'm not really Damian's friend."

"Oh, really?"

Maps felt like he was mocking her. "Yes, I've only met him a few times and he's never been all that nice to me. I guess he's a bit of a 'jerk'."

"It's not very nice to call people 'jerks'," he said in a high pitched girly voice.

"I don't sound like that."

"Sure, you do."

"Anyway, why's this bit of the house so creepy?"

"I ask Bruce that question all the time."

"Wait, who are you?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Maps, who are you?"

"That's a dumb name. I'm Jason."

"Jason?" Maps paused to collect her thoughts. He was someone important but Maps couldn't quite remember why. "How do you know Damian?"

"He's technically my brother."

"Oh, you're Jason."

"Yes, I just told you that."

"I think I overheard Damian and Tim talking about you."

"Aw, they think of me." Nothing in his tone of voice conveyed joy about hearing this piece of news. "Since when do those two talk, assholes. "

"It's nice to meet you by the way."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

Maps ignored him. "So, why aren't you dressed as a superhero?" Maps gestured to his outfit; a black leather jacket, plaid shirt, and skinny jeans.

"Eh?" Jason shrugged. "Superheroes are over-rated, too goody two-shoes. Anyway, I'm not here for the party. I need to talk to Bruce. I was about to do that until I saw you heading down here and had to stop you going somewhere you shouldn't."

"Wait, you weren't invited?"

"I was. These things suck. It's just to make Bruce look like a much better person than he is."

Maps didn't reply.

"Am I taking you to the mutt or the party?"

"Oh, Titus please."

"By mutt I meant Damian."

A few minutes later Maps and Jason were outside the room that Titus had been confined to. Maps heard a voice inside; it was Damian's.

Jason opened the door.

"What are you doing here? This is a private event, not for people of your calibre of mistakes." Damian said, his obvious distaste flooding his voice.

Jason shoved Maps through the door. "I found your girlfriend wandering the west wing. You should keep her on a leash, like you should your dog."

Titus growled at Jason which made Jason squirm a little.

"She is not my girlfriend." Damian's cheeks were red with anger.

"Make sure you invite me to the wedding."

Damian threw a handful of pencils that had been by his feet at Jason but they hit the door just as Jason slammed it shut behind him.

Titus wandered over to Maps. His short tail wagged. Maps sat down and petted him.

"So you met Jason."

"Yeah, he seems nice."

"-tt-, you have no idea what you're talking about."


	7. Chapter 7

**SEVEN**

"I dunno," Maps said. "The rest kind of blurred together."

"What? Did someone spike your drink?" Pom snorted.

Maps glared at her.

They were catching up in a tucked away corner of the library, lounging on beanbags. Olive and Kyle sat close together, everyone else kept their distance from the two love birds. Colton kept glaring at them when he thought the others weren't looking.

"Seriously, Maps. If something like that happened you need to tell us." Olive's voice was full of worry.

Kyle's expression changed from mild disinterest to major concern. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Don't worry, Kyle," Pom said. "I was only joking."

"Yeah, well, it's not funny." Olive pouted and looked away from Pom.

"But it was pretty fun," said Maps.

"You're only saying that because you met a dog," Colton said quietly. The whole gang looked at him in amazement. He hadn't said a word since yesterday when Kyle and Olive announced they were back together.

"Maybe it was but I want to see Titus again so I can steal him and change his name to Sir Fluffykins."

The gang laughed.

"Aw, yay!" Olive said. "But how will we hide him from Hammer?"

Maps shrugged. "We'll find a way. Maybe he could stay with Ham and Professor Macpherson."

"Hey, doofs. The mission wasn't to steal dogs. It was to find out what the Wayne's are really up to," Pom said.

"As far as I could tell, the only thing weird about them is they all hate each other."

"What about why they only have a butler when they could afford more servants?" Pom suggested.

"How do you know they could afford more though?" Kyle asked. His arm that rested over Olive's shoulders distractedly played with a strand of her white hair.

"Your parents have two maids and they aren't as rich as Bruce Wayne's supposed to be."

Kyle shrugged.

"Wait, this Jason person. I swear he was in the news for something a few years ago," Olive said. "From what you told us, Maps, he seems like the most suspicious."

"I'll look him up." Pom pulled out her phone from her jacket pocket and started typing. Colton moved to where he could look over her shoulder at what he was doing.

"What about the creepy corridor?" Maps asked.  
"Yeah, that's weird too," Olive said. "Why not redo that part of the house with the rest of it?"

"There's a lot of questions I need to ask Damian."

"No. We need to be subtle about this," Colton said.

"But…"

"Yeah, Colton's right," Kyle said. "We don't want to tip him off and in turn the rest of them."

"Hey guys," Pom said staring at her phone with wide eyes. "Listen to this. Jason Todd, the guy Maps supposedly met, died like five years ago."

Maps went pale white. "Omg, I met a ghost."

All the others looked at Maps with worry except Pom.

"But that doesn't make sense. Damian saw him too."

"You okay?" Olive asked.

Maps nodded.

"You're so brave." Olive ruffled Maps' hair fondly.

"Hey, guys."

Everyone looked towards Pom.

"Maps take a look at this. It's from the year Jason apparently died." Pom turned the phone around to Maps. "Did he look like that?"

The boy was definitely the same Jason Maps had met the night before but he looked about sixteen. The Jason Maps had met looked bigger and stronger than the boy in the picture and his cheeks weren't as shallow and his eyes didn't hold that youthful energy that the younger Jason's did. This was definitely not the twenty-something-year-old that Maps had met. "No, he was older than that."

"Ghosts don't age," Olive said

"No, so there's only one explanation. The Wayne's faked his death," Pom said.

"That or he really did die and somehow was resurrected like Jesus," Maps said.

"But one things for sure," Colton said. "We have to find out."

The gang spent weeks trying to figure out ways Maps could ask Damian questions about his family without making him suspicious. They were beginning to get bored by Maps and Damian's fifth 'hang out'. Maps needed to think of a way to get the information out of him otherwise the others would lose interest completely and it would be boring trying to figure it out without them.

Maps had all but ran out of patience when she rang up and straight up asked Damian, "how is your brother Jason alive when he died?"

That garnered a laugh from Damian, a sound that was so unusual to Maps' ears that she then proceeded to ask him if he was possessed.

"No, of course not," Damian said. "Meet me somewhere then, I'll explain."

"Leonardo's."

"You want ice cream now?"

"Mhmm." Maps stared dreamily into space thinking about the delicious ice cream she was about to eat.

"It's freezing outside, not to mention dark, but I won't argue."

"Great, see you there in half an hour."

"I have plans…"

"Not anymore."

"Maps, I… fine."

"Bye," Maps said and hung up the phone. She quickly dropped a text to Olive to let her know she was going out and that she'd be back with information on Jason Todd.


	8. Chapter 8

**EIGHT**

Maps skipped into Leonardo's at around 8.45, a good half an hour after she'd told Damian to meet her. She'd been so distracted by the droplets of snow floating down from heaven that the walk took her about an hour when it usually would take ten minutes. She shook of the snow from her boots and coat as she looked for Damian.

When she spotted him he did not look happy but he'd at least gotten them a booth. The café wasn't too crowded but most of the best seats were taken.

Maps strolled over to him while tugging off her gloves, hat, scarf, and lastly her coat. She chucked her stuff onto the spare booth seat and swung herself in next to it. She was about to say something cheery about the snow but Damian beat her to the talking.

"You're late," he said.

"Yeah, I know but it's snowing. It's so pretty."

The boy tutted her.

"You just don't appreciate beauty."

"I don't _appreciate_ it because it kills dozens of homeless people and it reminds me of before I came to America."

"You don't like snow?"

Damian rolled his eyes. "I didn't come here to talk about snow."

"Yeah, okay. Tell me about…" Maps switched her train of thought. "Wait, _before_ you came to America. You weren't born here?"

Damian closed his eyes and breathed out deeply. Maps was about to say something but then a waitress came over to take their order.

"I see your friend has arrived," she said. Her accent was Texan, Maps wondered why she'd come so far to work in a café in Gotham of all places.

Damian mumbled a reply.

"So what can I fix you guys up with?" she asked. She was very young. Maybe she'd come here to run away or maybe she'd just wanted a change.

"Um, I'll have a hot chocolate," Maps said. She fumbled with the menu that was on the table, she never could remember all the toppings. Just as the waitress turned to Damian to take his order Maps continued. "With… cream, marshmallows, chocolate sprinklings, sprinkles, a candy cane, some…"

"That's enough Maps," Damian interrupted. "I'll just have water."

The girl smiled and then walked away with a sway in her hips.

"I wasn't finished." Maps pouted and crossed her arms.

"I don't care."

"So…"

"About Jason…"

"No, about you. You weren't born in America? Where are you from?"

Damian tutted Maps again. "I was raised mostly in Tibet, where I was born. But we travelled a lot. You happy now?"

"Wow, Tibet. I don't even know where that is."

"It's in the middle of Asia. You're Asian Maps, how do you not know this?"

"Hey, we haven't done Asia in Geography yet."

Damian scoffed. "Public schools, they don't teach anything of use."

"I go to a private school."

"Same difference."

"Oh, you're impossible. What's so bad about Tibet then?"

"A lot."

Maps raised an eyebrow but Damian refused to say anything more on the subject. Maps remembered to tell the others that Damian had some secret past he didn't want to talk about. Maybe in Tibet he was a super-secret ninja killer trained by a clan of silent ninja warriors or maybe he was raised by a pack of were-wolves. Whatever the story was, Maps couldn't wait to find out.

"So, tell me how your brother's alive," she said.

"He's not my brother."

The waitress came over with their drinks. She first set down Maps' monster hot chocolate and then Damian's water. "Be careful, it's very hot."

"Thank you," Maps called as she was going to take another order. The waitress grinned back at the girl.

"I feel sorry for your roommate tonight, that much sugar will make you even more insane."

"Just you wait and see." Maps giggled. "Olive is going to absolutely love me."

"Who the hell has sprinkles and candy canes in hot chocolate anyway?"

"Only the greatest minds." Maps went to sip the hot chocolate but jolted away quickly because it was too hot.

"I shouldn't have asked."

"So, Jason?" Maps lifted a dollop of whipped cream with her finger and plunged it into her mouth.

"I'm only telling you this because I know you won't shut up about it if I don't and talking about Todd isn't exactly my idea of fun."

Maps couldn't say anything; she had a mouthful of candy cane, cream, and sprinkles. She waved Damian to continue with her hand.

"When he was about 14 Jason got into trouble with some bad people. He had to… fake his death so they'd leave him alone. This was before I knew him and no one else knew about the plan so that Jason could disappear for a while before coming back to make sure the bad people wouldn't come back."

"Hm."

"What?"

Maps swallowed down the sugar in her mouth and cleared her throat. "I just thought it'd be more interesting than that. Like he was blown up or something, ya know?" Maps giggled a little.

"That's not funny, Maps." Damian checked his watch and drained his water.

"You going somewhere?" Maps watched in awe as the boy chugged his beverage.

Damian shook his head. "Not quite yet." 

"Is that really the truth?"

Damian looked past Maps as he spoke. It was something he did a lot when telling her about his family; she had suspected it was what he did when he was lying. "Yes, that's what happened."

"He didn't actually die?"

"People can't come back to life," Damian said with all the seriousness in the world than laughed at his own joke.

"What, why's that funny?" Maps tried to find the joke but the boy was just unfathomable sometimes.

"Well," Damian said. He slowed his chuckles to a stop. "Everyone comes back eventually."

"What does that mean?"

"I wish I could tell you." Damian's face grew saddened and he looked tired and thoughtful all at the same time. It was the kind of expression that Maps had only seen on old people wrinkled faces.

"Damian, are you okay?" Maps asked hesitantly. She was expecting him to snap back at her and wasn't surprised.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" Damian forced his face back into an angry frown.

Maps shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe… uh, never mind."

"Maps, whatever you think you know you're wrong." His voice was so condescending that Maps had to force herself not to pour her hot chocolate over him; she didn't want to waste it, it was too good.

"And what is it that I think I know?"

"How should I know? I can't read minds."

"With how secretive you act it's a wonder that you can't."

"I have to go." Damian sighed and got up from his seat, careful not to reveal what was hidden beneath the coat he'd borrowed from a homeless man. He'd return it late.

"Where are you going?" Maps asked. She noticed the ragged coat he was wearing for the first time but didn't say anything about it.

"Somewhere." Damian dumped a ten dollar bill on the table and told Maps to use it to pay for the drinks.

"Wait, let me come with you." Maps grabbed her coat and began putting it on.

Damian stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder. "No."

"Please."

"I said no. Finish your drink and get home safely."

"I'll just follow you then."

Damian smiled a little. "No you won't, you'll have to finish your hot chocolate first and that'll take ages. I know you, you won't leave a good drink unfinished."

"Damn, you got me."

Damian smiled. There was a moment when everything seemed to stop. It seemed to Maps that they were very close and that Damian was leaning towards her. It was like he wanted something but couldn't bring himself to do it.

Damian quickly moved his hand away from Maps, like being that close to her physically hurt him.

"You stink," Maps said. It was true; the boy did smell of dirt and BO. He usually smelt like after-shave and old books. "Where'd you get that coat from?"

"I borrowed it and I wouldn't blame it all on the coat."

"Eww." Maps pushed him away playfully. "Gross."

"Bye."

Maps rolled her eyes before pulling him into a quick hug. Someone said 'aww bless' from one of the other tables. When Maps pulled away he was looking around the room trying to figure out who it was. He gave up when no one was looking their way.

"Bye."

"Enjoy the hot chocolate."

"Bye."

Maps slumped back into the seat and when she looked back up Damian was almost out the café doors. Such a weird boy, Maps thought.


	9. Chapter 9

**NINE**

Robin watched, from the rooftops through binoculars, the girl he'd had coffee with just a few minutes before as it happened.

After he'd left he'd carefully applied his mask in a black alleyway where no one would see him. He then returned the coat to its owner and gave him a generous wad of cash and told him to find shelter. He'd then rushed back to make sure nothing happened to Maps as she walked back.

It was only half nine. Too early for anything to happen in a normal city but this was Gotham and in Gotham you could never be too cautious. The route Maps was taking back from Leonardo's wasn't necessarily in a bad area, in relation to the rest of Gotham, but it still wasn't the safest.

As Robin followed her from above he wondered why she'd take this path but then he remembered that Maps was an adventurer. Seeking danger was the thing she loved most other than seeking buried mysteries, which were one and the same thing when you really thought hard about it. Even when she wasn't trying to be, Maps was an adrenaline junky.

It was as she was walking past an abandoned butcher's shop that it happened. Two large men moved out from the shadowy depths of the alleyway beside her while another moved out in front. They were brandishing nailed baseball bats. He knew who they were. Dollmaker's men. He could tell by the masks made from human skin that they wore. The sight made him feel sick to the stomach.

Maps saw the man in front and froze. She turned to run but then saw the two behind her. Then the panic kicked in. The men advanced. She tried to run but the one that had stepped out in front swung his weapon and she was forced back towards the other two.

Robin crawled to get in line with them; he was careful to not kick any tiles off the roof or slip up on the snow that was already an inch deep. He stopped when he was in line and pulled out his grappling hook and prepared to shoot it. Now he had to wait for the right mo… He halted when a batarang flew into the shoulder of one of the men.

He hadn't thrown it. One of the others was here.

The men pulled out hand guns from their pockets and dropped their bats. They looked for the thrower.

Robin looked to the general direction the throw and spotted her perched on a gargoyle on the roof of the building opposite the one Robin was opposite. Batgirl.

Dollmaker's men hadn't spotted her yet, their eyes weren't trained like his were, but they would soon.

Robin seized the distraction to fire the grappling hook just above the head of one of the men and shot. The noise alerted the one he'd fired above but the others were still looking for Batgirl. The one alert to Robin's presence started shooting in his direction. The other two started shooting at Batgirl, spotted.

Robin swung down the rope and landed a satisfying kick to the forehead of the grunt. He rolled out of the landing and turned to face his face his opponent as he reloaded the gun. In one fell swoop Robin threw a batarang at the gun and it went spinning into the darkness.

Robin threw himself at the grunt who stumbled backwards a few steps. Robin aimed for the eyes and nose with his punches which obviously hurt the grunt; he was screeching like a baby. The grunt grabbed Robin by the shoulders and lifted him away before throwing him to the floor.

Robin was winded briefly. When he was aware again his foe was already above him, nailed bat held high above his ugly head.

Robin rolled to the side just in time to dodge. The bat hit the ground so hard that the nails pinned through it buckled under the force. The bat rose once again. Robin dodged again. Thud. Rise. Dodge. Thud. On the fourth rise of the bat Robin kicked with both feet at the guys balls as hard as a horses kick.

His foe stumbled backwards, hit the wall and slid to the floor clutching his wounded manhood. Robin finished him off with a punch to the face. The man's head bounced against the wall, unconscious. Blood leaked from his nostrils.

Robin turned to the others. Batgirl was on the floor now. Two busy dodging the attacks of the other two to land any offensive blows. At least she'd managed to get rid of the guns.

Maps looked okay, or as okay as a normal girl could be given the circumstances. She was shaking and pressed tight against the wall to as to make herself invisible but that was normal.

Robin jumped on the back of the one closest to him and toppled him to the ground with the surprise of his attack. His foe rolled on top of him and crushed him beneath their weight. He pushed down harder and harder. Robin groaned unwillingly as he felt one of his ribs snap. A second rib cracked. He couldn't breathe.

Robin reached towards his utility belt and grabbed what he could reach. He felt the object cut into the palm of his hand, a batarang. Robin angled it upward and stabbed with all of his whittling strength.

It was enough. The man jerked upright more from surprise than pain.

Robin used to respite to stab the enemy in the back of his shoulder; farther and deeper this time.

The man howled. He stumbled around to face Robin and growled.

Robin swung himself onto his feet even though the movement caused searing agony in his ribs. As soon as he was up he stumbled and nearly fell back down. It took Robin all his concentration to stand on his two feet and face his foe as he charged at the boy. He threw himself out of the way and his foe crashed into the wall just behind where Robin had been.

It had only bought a few moments of respite though. Robin had only managed to roll onto his elbow when the man was above him again. He had little hope. It made the boy wonder wonder, did death want him back so soon?

A thick, hairy hand reached down and pulled Robin up by the cape. He face-to-face with the hideous mask and dangling like a pathetic Christmas tree ornament. The stench was that of rotting human flesh, it made the boy wonder want to throw up. Robin didn't squirm or show his disgust though; he was too busy thinking of how he might escape and showing their fear never helped anyone.

Robin grabbed at the fist and attempted to pry the fingers from round the cape but they were just too strong.

There was no way he could have dodged the clenched fist that collided with his cheek just as there was no way to avoid the second and third.

As the fourth strike was about to land the man dropped like a sack of potatoes, Robin with him.

Robin spat blood on the floor and wiped his mouth with his glove.

"You okay, Robin?" Batgirl asked. She reached a hand down to help him up. Robin noticed that she was a lot less beaten up than him. There were only a couple of slashes on her cheek and a nose bleed.

"I've been better." Robin slapped her hand away and tried to feel which ribs were broken. "They took it easy on you."

"A thank you for saving your butt is too much to ask, right?" Batgirl didn't really sound angry though. She moved over to the unconscious perps and cuffed their wrists and ankles.

Robin spotted Maps still up against the wall. She wasn't in shock but she looked like she

Maps nodded but her eyes were wide and she was getting paler by the second. She was staring at one of the unconscious men and hugging herself with her arms.

Robin forced himself up which really hurt and made his way over to her. He put his hands on her shoulders and told her to look at him. Her eyes slowly clicked to where his were hidden under the mask. Robin took off his cape and wrapped it around her. "Batgirl. Cape." Robin held his hand out behind him. A few seconds later he felt the cape in his hand and wrapped it around the girl. "Now, what just happened was very traumatic. You may be going into shock. We don't want that to happen. I need you to lie down nice and slowly and think about breathing deep and slow. Can you do that?"

The girl nodded. Maps did what Robin asked.

"You're going to be okay. I'm just raising your legs to get the blood to flow to your heart and brain. Just keep breathing in and out. In and out."

Robin looked to Batgirl for help. She was at their side quickly but her attention was half on the bad-guys. Maps grabbed Batgirl's hand and held on tight.

A few minutes passed and her breathing was steady again and her pulse back to normal. "Hey guys, I think I'm good now," she said shakily.

The both helped her sit up and from there stand.

"Omg, omg, omg!" Maps exclaimed. She clapped her hands in front of her mouth.

"Please don't go into shock again," Batgirl said.

"You're Batgirl and Robin. You saved me. This is so totally, awesomely awesome!" Maps was grinning so widely Robin thought her mouth might get stuck like that. She looked like the Cheshire cat; it was kind of off putting.

"Well done for figuring that one out." Robin rolled his eyes but the gesture went unseen under his mask. "Saying 'Awesomely awesome' is pretty stupid. You can't use the adverb form of the same adjective to pre modify an adjective."

"Geez, and I thought I was a nerd," Batgirl mumbled.

"Wow, you guys are so awesome. You kicked those bad guys' asses." Maps re-enacted the fight against thin air.

"What are we still doing here?" Robin said.

"I need to wait for the cops, you take her home."

"I can wait for the cops."

"Hiyah!" Maps shouted as she kicked her leg high in the air. Batgirl looked at the girl; Robin could tell she was trying to place her from somewhere. Maybe she'd spotted her at the gala.

"Doesn't she need to talk to the cops?"

"Yes, but she went into shock, she'll probably be better off at home to talk to the cops tomorrow. Now stop making excuses and take the girl home."

"No, you take her."

"I don't have my bike."

"Where's Batman?" Batgirl asked.

"I'm solo tonight."

"So, it's your night off. Why aren't you at home?

"I was bored."

"Well, it looks like you're going to be very bored for the next few weeks, boy wonder." As she spoke she jabbed him gently in the ribs. The boy winced and slapped her hand away.

"Look at the victim, she's gone insane." He pouted. They watched as Maps nearly fell over trying to jump off the top of a dustbin.

Batgirl walked over to Maps but tugged Robin along behind.

"Hey, have we met before?" Batgirl asked Maps.

"Yeah," Maps came back to the real world and stopped fighting her invisible enemies. "Me and my friend Olive helped you with a thing at Gotham Academy, remember?"

Recognition came flooding into Batgirl's face. "Oh, yeah. I knew I recognised you. You're Maps, right?"

Maps nodded fast and massively. Obviously being recognised by a superhero was a dream come true for her, especially one as cool as Batgirl.

"What's your full name again? Just so I can pass it on to the police so they can ask you questions if they need to."

"Oh, Mia Mizoguchi. I've never had to talk to the police before."

"The police are nice; so you don't need to worry."

"Sure, Bullock's a swell guy." Robin tsked after this sentiment.

Batgirl jabbed him in the shoulder. "Hey, bite the attitude."

"I'll go get my bike."

"I thought you said you didn't have it."

"I lied." Robin stormed off down an alley.

As he left he heard Batgirl say "he's kind of a jerk. Don't worry about it. Nothing to do with…"

When he returned with the bike the police still hadn't arrived and Maps and Batgirl were busy chatting away about something. How did girls still manage to find things to talk about when one of them is wearing a mask?

"Are you cold?" Robin asked Maps.

The girl shook her head despite being covered by freezing wet capes.

"Then it's the adrenaline keeping you warm." Robin reached into the trunk of the bike and pulled out a towel. He didn't know why he had it but he was glad he did. He pulled out a batarang and cut out the 'W' emblazoned onto it which he shoved back into the compartment. "Give me the capes." He held his hand out with the blanket.

Maps took the capes off and passed them to him while taking the towel and wrapping it around herself. Robin threw Batgirl's cape at her which she caught. Robin shoved his cape into the compartment as well; Alfred wouldn't be impressed.

Robin got on the bike and switched on the ignition. "Get on."

Maps didn't move. "You want me to ride on the Robin-mobile?"

"It's not called that. Now get on before I lose my patience.

Maps hopped onto the bike and wrapped her arms around his waist, not avoiding his ribs, without him having to tell her to do so. Either she was used to riding on a bike or she was just eager to hug Robin. When she leaned her head against his back he knew which of the two options it was.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"Anywhere."

"-tt- where do you live?"

"Oh, uh. Gotham Academy."

Robin put on his helmet and twisted the throttle.


	10. Chapter 10

**TEN**

Barbara looked angry when she stormed into the Bat-cave. She chucked her mask to the ground as she moved further in. She didn't usually come here after a night of work; she usually went straight home and tried to avoid any and all meetings with Bruce.

Damian was playing with Bat-cows ear and trying to figure out a better name for her than Bat-cow before she came in. Titus watched in that jealous, patient way that all dogs have when someone else is getting the attention. Alfred was busy with the bat-computer.

"What's gotten your cape in a twist?" Damian asked

"Oh, nothing that concerns you."

At the sound of her voice Alfred looked towards her for the first time. He pulled off his headset and approached her with open arms and they embraced quickly. "Oh, Miss Barbara, it's such a pleasure to see you. It's been weeks. It's a pity you don't come round as often as you used to."

"Sorry for that, Alfred. I really should come and visit more it's just time and…"

Alfred cut her off by lifting his hand in the air. "You don't need to make excuses Barbara, I know a little of what's going on between you and Master Bruce. I just wish you wouldn't ignore the rest of us."

"I'll try not to Alfred." Barbara smiled a little but everyone in the room knew there was no joy in her statement.

"Why did you come here?" Damian said.

"I actually wanted to speak to you."

Damian didn't let the surprise show in his face. "Me? You're annoyed at me now too? It'd be great to know what I supposedly did to upset you so."

"You're so quick to judge."

Damian ignored her and went back to thinking of a name for the Bat-cow. She looked like a Daisy but it was such a girly name that he couldn't bring himself to tell the others it if he decided on it; they'd all laugh at him, especially that idiot Todd.

"It's about the girl we saved from Dollmaker's men a few nights ago, remember?" Barbara said.

"No, I don't remember. It's not like that's the reason I can't go out for the next month."

"She told me that she was hanging out with you, as in Damian Wayne not Robin, before it happened."

"When did she tell you this?"

"You went to get your bike."

"Oh, I thought you'd been chatting about shoes or something."

"Why didn't you walk her home?" She raised her voice a little.

"I was following her. –tt- I wasn't going to let her get hurt."

"If she's your girlfriend you should…"

"Who said she was my girlfriend. Because she's not. Definitely not." Damian refused to let his cheeks go red

"Okay then but…"

"Why even bring her up? It's nothing to do with you."

Alfred watched with a nonplussed expression; he and Titus shared a look of befuddlement.

"I just want to make sure you're not taking after your father with the way he treats women and letting you know proper etiquette when it comes to girls."

"I don't need your opinion." Damian crossed his arms and lifted his chin up.

"Maybe Miss Barbara is right, Master Damian."

"Not you too Alfred."

"Your father, while a great man, is not someone you should try to emulate when it comes to the ladies unless you want to be alone all your life with only the memory of the hearts you broke."

"That's rather judgemental coming from you, old man, or did you forget that you're alone too."

Barbara scowled at Damian. "That was really rude, Damian. Apologise."

"The difference is I'm happy this way, Master Damian."

"I'm sorry for snapping, Alfred. It's her I'm annoyed at." Damian pointed at Barbara and glared from the corner of his eyes.

"Now, now, Master Damian, Miss Barbara was only showing concern for you."

"Well, I don't need her concern or her advice." He turned to Barbara. "And do you really think that Dick didn't tell me all this years ago?"

Barbara blushed. "I guess I didn't think about that."

Damian jumped down from the table he'd been sitting on and stormed towards the door. "C'mon Titus," he said and the dog followed at his heel.


	11. Chapter 11

**ELEVEN**

Maps had already told the whole school about how she'd met Robin and Batgirl but every-time she told the story it got a little further from the truth. This time whilst she was telling Eric for the fifth time she was adding little details, her favourite invention so far was how Batgirl had flown down from the shadows of the rooftops on a giant, fuzzy bat. People had stopped believing her after that plot twist; only Eric listened to her now and that was partly because he had to because they sat next to each other in art and partly because he was too shy to tell her to stop.

"That's a really great story, Maps; but, I think you've told me before," Eric said with a jitter in his quiet voice.

"No one else will listen to me tell my woeful tail though, Eric. So you have to listen." Maps spread a violent red streak across her painting that was turning more and more abstract by the minute. "And how else would we fill the time whilst creating our masterpieces."

"We could talk about something else." Eric hid his face behind his painting as soon as he'd finished speaking.

"Like what, Eric?"

"Like…"

At that moment the door swung open and Hammer's new assistant bumbled into the room. She reminded Mia of one of those lazy pet cats that eat all day and don't go out much. She swayed from side to side before announcing her presence loudly with a cough. "Is Mia Mitsubishi in this class?" Maps hadn't heard her speak before, she hadn't realised she had a British accent.

"It's Mizoguchi, Miss Turnbald," the teacher replied. She then pointed in Mia's direction. "That's her over there."

"What have you done now, Maps?" Eric asked in a whisper.

"Zip it, Eric. I ain't done nothing they can prove."

"Come this way, Mia." The assistant replied before hurrying out the door.

"Hey, Eric. Look after my stuff, make sure no one steals anything or it'll be on your head, capisce?"

Eric nodded, traumatised.

Maps followed the lady and had to run a little to catch up with her. "Where are you taking me?" Maps asked once she fell in step with the woman.

The lady didn't look at Maps when she spoke. "To the headmaster's office. There's someone who wishes to speak to you, Mia."

"I'd prefer it if you called me Maps."

"Why would you want to be called such a god awful name such as that?"

"Never mind."

When the door opened to headmaster Hammer's office with a massive whoosh she saw the face of one of two people she would have never expected. Her mother.

The near stranger ran up to Maps and embraced her in her arms.

Maps struggled to get away from her but she was too strong. "Mum, what are you doing here?" she asked between grunts.

"I booked a flight from Europe as soon as I heard what happened to you. Oh, my baby girl. I was so worried but now that I know you're fine…"

"You can go back to not caring about me."

"Oh, Mia, what gave you that idea?"

"Oh, you know. The fact that you and Dad haven't been to a single match of Kyle's, haven't talked to me for longer than five minutes on the phone for three months, missed thanksgiving… I could go on but I really don't want to. You're wasting enough of my time as it is."

"Mia, I'm sorry about that but you have to understand we are both very busy."

"I'll give you two some privacy." Headmaster Hammer stood up from his seat with more speed than a man of his age should be able to move. Within seconds the door to his office was swinging shut behind him.

"Oh, Mia. Tell me exactly what happened."

Maps told her everything that happened without all the additions she'd made; something told her that her mum wouldn't be interested in those. She wished every second that the conversation with her mother would end the next.

"After hearing all that I feel we must set some guidelines."

"Mum, no, you don't need to do that."

"First, is that I'm imposing a curfew on you. You must be back on school grounds no later than 7pm and inside your room after 8pm."

"That's no fair." Maps felt like curling in a ball and staying like that until her mother left.

"And you will not see or talk to this boy ever again."

Maps hadn't spoken to him since what happened anyway. She'd ignored every single call he'd made, upon Olive's suggestion, which was about three in the week after the attack—that was a lot of effort for Damian Wayne. But now things would have to change.

"That's it. Perfectly fair," Maps' mum said as if she'd just shared a packet of haribos evenly between two small children.

"And who's imposing these rules?"

"Kyle, of course."

Yeah, right. "Is that it?"

"Oh, and I bought you a present. I had it delivered to your room."

Maps was immediately suspicious. The only time her mother gave her presents was when she wanted Maps to spy on Kyle for her or if she'd done something especially bad to upset Maps and wanted to win her back to her; the presents were always things she didn't want or wouldn't use and never ever worked in her mother's favour.

"You can wear it to the winter ball," Maps' mother said.

Maps didn't say anything. That meant it was either a dress or a pair of shoes; either way she wasn't going to wear it to the ball. "Thanks, Mum," she said without any semblance of sincerity.

"Well, I must be on my way back to Paris. Your father sends his regards and said he wishes he could be here for you."

Maps didn't say anything else. The quicker this conversation was over, the quicker her Mum would leave and the less likely Maps would be to breaking down and crying.

They shared a business-like hug before her mum strolled from the office. Maps waited a few seconds before following her before going back to class; she grabbed a cool knife from Hammer's desk on the way out that he'd been using as a paperweight on the way out. She tucked the knife into her blazer and gifted Hammer, as she walked past, with a wide grin. He wouldn't suspect a thing.


	12. Chapter 12

**TWELVE**

Damian's phone buzzed on the table. Dick and Damian both turned to look at it then gave each other a quizzical look.

Damian grabbed the phone and turned it over.

"Who is it?" Dick asked.

"Maps."

"Well, answer it."

Damian put the phone down on the table and went back to glaring at the television screen. Why was Grayson making him watch this rubbish? Why did Grayson have such bad taste in television? Why was there even a cartoon about the old Teen Titans? It was so inaccurate that it was painful. And the jokes were terrible. Robin was a fool in it. Was it out of vanity that Grayson enjoyed the show or some deeply hidden masochistic urges?…

"I thought you wanted to talk to her," Dick said.

"Your television show is awful, Grayson."

The phone stopped vibrating.

"You should have picked up. You've been calling her all week."

"Thrice, Grayson, that's not 'all week'."

"Well, you missed your chance."

"She'll call again."

As if on cue the phone buzzed again.

"See?" Damian said with a smug look on his face.

"Well, pick up then."

Damian waited for the phone to stop.

Dick blinked slowly in disbelief. Damian would probably beat Bruce in a stubbornness contest; that was a rather terrifying thought.

"I swear, Damian, you better pick up next time."

The phone rang again. Its furious vibrations against the table were driving Dick insane but still Damian let it go to answerphone.

"You are a terrible human being, you know that?"

"So are you for making me watch this absurd nonsense." Damian gestured violently to the TV. "Why is Starfire such a clutz? Why are you such a moody loser? Why…"

"So it's my fault for making you watch this show?"

"Yes, Grayson, your detective skills are unmatched." Damian's voice was practically oozing sarcasm.

"I only made you watch one episode; you chose to watch the others."

"-tt-, To get a thorough understanding of just how nonsensical and pointless…"

The phone rang again.

This time instead of leaving it unanswered Dick leaned over and grabbed the phone from its perch and answered it before Damian managed to get it back. Damian tried to wrestle the phone off him but Dick was already talking.

"Hello, Maps… Yes this is Dick… Yes, Damian's here; I'll hand you over." Dick offered the phone to Damian who was half laying over him to try to reach it.

Damian snapped it up and rekindled some of his previous demeanour. He strolled out of the room and threw a pillow at Dick as he left. He heard Dick giggling as he slammed the door behind him.

Damian put the phone to his ear. "I'm sorry about that, Grayson was…"

"Damian! I can't believe you…"

Damian didn't hear the rest, he had to hold the phone away from his ear for fear of going deaf.

"-tt- You sound annoyed," Damian said quickly into the phone once he couldn't hear her muffled voice coming from the other end.

"Of course I'm annoyed you…"

Damian held the phone away again and waited until it was safe.

"I'm not going to listen to you if you keep shouting."

"Hmph," Maps said. "Well, I am annoyed at you. Really annoyed. You should have walked me home."

"I thought that you would find it insulting if I offered."

"Yeah, you're right, I would have but you still should have asked."

"That seems awfully pointless."

"Olive told me to say that."

Damian heard a muffled protest coming from the other side of the phone; most probably from Olive.

"I'm not really annoyed about it to be honest but all my friends are. They'll probably try to kill you when you meet them, Kyle especially even though he looks harmless."

"Meet them?"

"We'll get to that later. Why did you make me call you four times?"

"To annoy you."

"You're a jerk," Maps said. "Anyway, my Mum visited me today and said a few things I didn't like. Firstly, she tried to give me a curfew. Secondly, she said I can't speak to you. Thirdly, she bought me a dress to wear to the ball. So while I may be annoyed at you I hate her which is why I need to break her rules."

"Your mother sounds like a lovely person."

"She's terrible, Damian. Her and Dad didn't even come home for thanksgiving. Me and Kyle had to have it in the school cafeteria; they gave us mushy peas."

"You would love my mother."

"This isn't about you, Damian. And I'm sure your mother loves you, unlike mine."

"Love, I don't think my mother is capable of love."

"You are such a drama queen."

"What gave you the idea that I'm ever going to meet your friends?" Damian ignored her.

"You're coming with me to the winter ball at the Academy."

"I don't get a choice?"

"Nope, of course you don't. It's this Saturday. Wear a suit."

"Tie or bowtie?" Damian asked, not feeling too sure about this whole endeavour.

"Tie, who the hell wears bowties?"

"I do."

"Cause you're a snob." Maps hung up leaving Damian confused as ever.


	13. Chapter 13

**THIRTEEN**

Despite Damian Wayne's better judgement, he'd still ended up attending the Gotham Academy Annual Winter Ball as Maps' plus one. As instructed Damian had turned up dressed in a reasonably—although not overly so—smart suit with a tie.

To Damian's surprise, when he met up with Maps and her friends in the parking lot, she was also wearing a suit—although hers was rather baggy and long around the ankles and wrists. She'd taken the time to roll up the sleeves and ankles to make them short enough for her hands and little black sandals to stick out. She had a little white flower clip in her hair and was wearing make-up which was a surprise; he'd never seen her wear any before. Damian didn't miss her bowtie.

She came to greet him away from her friends.

He scoffed at her before even saying hello.

"Well, it's nice to see you too, Damian," Maps looked a little upset. "It's because I'm wearing a suit right."

"Who the hell wears bowties?" Damian smirked at her. His smirk only grew when she slapped him on the shoulder.

"I like bowties, bowties are cool." She looked mighty proud of herself.

"Why's that? I thought they were for snobs."

She slapped him again on the shoulder. "That 'Doctor Who?' reference went right over your head."

Damian rolled his eyes. He reached his hand over to touch the bowtie gently. "What's on it? Looks like a map."

"Well, uh, it's a map of middle-earth."

He looked at her face to see her blushing. "That's from 'Lord of the Rings', right?" He withdrew his hand feeling bad that he'd embarrassed her.

"Uh, yeah. How'd you know?"

"Grayson has them all on Blu-ray, he's made me watch them a few times. Turns out Alfred's a fan too."

"A…Alfred?"

"He was alive when the books were published."

Maps had started acting funny. She wouldn't look Damian in the eye. He'd done something wrong

"Are you planning on introducing me to your cohorts? They're staring at us like brainless goldfish," Damian said.

"Uh, yeah, okay."

She turned and walked towards them. Funny, no retort about that 'brainless goldfish' remark, what had gotten into Maps? He followed her towards the friends.

"So, Damian, we've heard a lot about you," said the tall dark skinned girl Damian didn't know but recognised.

"Have we met before?" Damian asked.

"Yes, Haly's circus."

"Oh, right you're…"

"Pom."

Damian resisted the urge to say anything more about that day until he realised he recognised most of the other faces there. "Where you all at Haly's circus?"

"Yeah, except Heathcliffe," Maps said. "That's Colton, Warren, Heathcliffe, Pom, my bro Kyle and you know Olive."

"Hi," Damian said wishing he hadn't agreed to this ball more and more every second.

"They were all dying to meet you." Maps had seemed to go back to being her annoyingly perky self and she was enjoying Damian's discomfort a little too much.

"Shall we go in then guys?" Olive said with a forced grin on her face.

There was a few mumbles and then Olive lead the way inside. Maps fell into step with Colton which meant Damian had to follow behind.

"I can't believe you're only dating him cause he has a dog." Colton sniggered in Maps' ear just loud enough for Damian to hear.

"We're just friends, Colton." Maps shoved him.

"Sure." Colton howled and went back to gossiping with Maps.

Damian knew who it was walking beside him without having to look but he did anyway just to keep up appearances. Damian didn't really try to keep the disdain out of his voice. "How can I help you?"

"Stop for a second," Kyle said.

Damian did and they soon lost the others through the doorway into the main hall. Maps caught Damian's eye just before she went in.

"I'm not usually a fan of my mother's rules but I do agree with what she said to Maps about you. She shouldn't really be seeing you.

"If this is about me not walking her home that night, I've already had an earful from my own family."

"You better not do anything like that again. I'm watching you. And I'm not one for violence or threats or anything. I'm just warning you."

Damian managed to keep a poker face at the lanky teens threats but it was more difficult than thought. "I am sorry about leaving Maps."

"Have you told her that?"

"I haven't had the chance. It's difficult to get a word in with her."

"Well, you should apologise."

"I will."

"I'm just doing my job as her brother."

"I get that. I've got a protective older brother of my own, would do anything for me, thinks I'm an angel. Only one though, the other two hate me."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Because you're judging me based on preconceived ideas born from the stories Maps has told you about me."

"It's the facts that worry me. The stories Maps tells are good. I can tell she really likes you."

"That's good."

"I'm not the most observant guy but when it comes to Maps I can usually tell if something's up. I think she might like you as more than a friend. The only thing she talks about as much as you is superheroes."

"Maps is just a friend. I'm not looking for any romantic entanglements."

"I doubt she feels the same way."

"This conversation is getting tiresome." Damian looked longingly towards the doors; he just wanted to get back to Maps and away from her judging friends.

"You're not exactly helping yourself here."

"I'm not trying, Maps' brother."

"Don't hurt her feelings."

"If I say I won't can we please end this tirade?"

"Sure."

"I won't."

When Maps found Damian inside he refused to talk about what Kyle had said. Either Kyle had managed to scare him or Damian just didn't care. But Maps still wanted to know and getting it out of Kyle later would be hard, he was like a heavy rock when he didn't want to tell you something. Damian was kind of like that too.

"Please, Damian, just tell me." Maps was close to getting down onto her knees and begging for an answer.

Damian rolled his eyes. "It's not really that interesting. I'd rather not go over it again."

"Please, please, please."

"Are you always this annoying when someone says no to you?"

"I just want to know because not knowing things is the most frustrating thing in the world."

"The same could be said about you, you know?" There was no meanness in his voice when he said it which was unusual for Damian. It was just an observation rather than a thinly veiled insult.

"Gee, thanks." Maps rolled her eyes.

"You like uncovering the truth of things, don't you?"

"Well, yes. That's why my friends and I formed the detective club, to uncover the secrets of Gotham academy. Why?"

"No reason. I would ask you to dance but I'm afraid I'm not learned in these… strange caveman-like movements and I wouldn't want to embarrass myself." Damian looked disdainfully at the dance floor and at the giddy students jumping around and looking like fools to the sound of loud pop music. "Teenagers are rather uncivilised nowadays."

"You are a teenager, and it's fun." Maps was forming the beginnings of a brilliant idea.

"Don't bring me down to your level."

"I won't if you prove to me that you are so above us."

"And how do I do that?"

"Show me some of your moves."

Damian stared at her for a moment before coming up with an excuse. "If a more lyrical song is played maybe I will."

"It's a deal then." Maps spotted some girls in her year coming towards them. They were the kind of people that were more invested in the lives of celebrities than in their own. She knew exactly why they were there. "Tia, Jody, hi," Maps said as they barged into Damian and Map's conversation.

"I couldn't help but notice that your date, Mie, is Damian freakin' Wayne," said Tia.

"I'm not really her—"

"We're going to have to steal him for a little while," said Jody. The two girls each took an arm of Damian's with their own and pulled him away from Maps.

Maps didn't bother with trying to help Damian; he didn't seem to be too bothered at being taken away by two girls much prettier than her. When Damian looked back to Maps for help she was gone.

"We've heard so much about you," the first one said. She was a short blonde with her hair curled in ringlets, heavy make-up and wearing a above the knee yellow skater dress and was trying much too hard to be cute.

"Great," Damian said. He scanned the crowded room to look for an escape plan but first he had to get these two leeches off of his arms in a chivalrous manner without offending them when it would be easier to just push them away. At times like this Damian wondered why he even bothered to follow this lifestyle.

"You and your family are always on the news," the other said. She was much plainer looking, brunette with freckles and in a slim-fit green dress. "It must be wonderful to have a father like Bruce Wayne."

"Sure."

"We've gotta tell you this, but Mie Mizo-what's-her-face is so beneath you. You should aim higher," The first said.

"Yeah. A boy like you deserves a girl with much more class and who actually acts like a girl." The two girls giggled conspiringly.

Damian scoffed. "Someone like you two, I presume?"

"You're getting the idea," the first said. It was weird how the blonde always spoke first followed by the brunette.

"Wanna dance?"

"No."

"No, Jody, he wants to dance with me." Damian felt himself get yanked towards the blonde.

Damian rolled his eyes. "While I'm flattered by your interests in me, I won't be dancing with either of you tonight."

"You're going to dance with Mie, though."

"Her name's Mia."

"The poor boy, she used that weird witch girl she's friends with to put him under her spell." They giggled again.

"We have to save him from them," Blonde said.

"Does that mean we get to kiss him?"

"No, silly, only I get to kiss him."

"But—"

"Neither of you are kissing me." Damian shook their arms off and stepped away.

"See, Mie has muddled with your brain. She's made you think you're in love with her. Any—"

"I'm not in love with Maps."

"—normal boy would kill for the chance to be with one of us."

"You two belong in Arkham with all the other nut-jobs."

"I don't know what you see in her and I don't know how she snagged such a handsome, rich boy like you. She's not even pretty like her friend, Olive."

"Well, for one thing, she's not shallow."

"Neither are we," Blonde said.

"You're both shallower than Batman's smile." Damian felt a little proud for that one. "Now, if you excuse me I have somewhere to be."


	14. Chapter 14

**FOURTEEN**

Maps was outside in the parking lot. She was sat on a bench with her blazer pulled tight around herself in the cold, gentle snow. It took him interrupting three of Maps' friends—Pom, Colton and Heathcliff—while they were busy sabotaging the sound system to get directions to Maps' whereabouts.

From the way she was sitting hunched over, Damian could tell she was sad.

He walked over carefully, feeling the crush of the newly laid snow beneath his feet with each step. When he was close he spoke, "do you want to know something, Maps?"

Maps looked up at him. Her eyes shimmered more than usual in the light of the moon. "What?"

"You're nowhere near as insufferable as most people our age."

"Thanks?"

Damian gestured to the bench she was sitting on. "Mind if I?"

"Go ahead."

Damian wiped away the snow from the seat with his boot and then sat down on the edge of the seat to avoid the minimal amount of wet bench possible. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing."

"People don't sit in the freezing cold snow with nothing but a suit on over nothing."

Maps grunted and looked away from Damian.

"Do you, want to talk about it?"

It was a while before she replied. "I'm starting to feel weird about you."

"That's odd. Did I do something wrong?"

"God, this is awkward." Silence stretched between them. "Well, it's uh, I kind of felt jealous of Jody and Tia."

"Who?"

"Those girls, from my class, that you danced with."

"-tt- I didn't dance with them."

"What… did you do then?"

"I told them they were shallow and belonged in Arkham."

Maps looked at him in disbelief. "You didn't?"

"Well, it's true."

"What did they say?"

"It doesn't matter." Damian flashed Maps a rare smile. "Why were you jealous?" He leaned in a little closer.

"I dunno, I just thought that…"

"Thought what?"

"That maybe, ya know… do you like me?"

Damian felt as if his heart had dropped to the floor, what Kyle had said had been right. Maps did have a crush on him. He had to keep his composure. "Sure, Maps. Why else would I be friends with you?"

"No, I meant like… like in a more than friends sort of…" Maps cheeks were red but it wasn't all because of the cold.

Damian thought for a moment. "It's easier to be friends, Maps."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's just forget this conversation happened."

"If I were to tell you I liked you it would be unfair on you."

"That doesn't make sense."

"There are things about me that you can't know."

"But—"

"That's why."

"You're so weird, Damian."

"-tt-, I'm the weird one?"

"Oh, definitely, boys aren't supposed to have secrets. That's the girls job, you're an anomaly."

"-tt- can we go inside now, you look freezing and I would prefer it if you didn't die of hypothermia."

"Oh, you'd _prefer_ it, would you?" She nudged him with his shoulder.

"But then, if you did die, I guess it's not the end of the world."

Maps cuffed him lightly round the head. "You're a jerk."

Damian shrugged and stood up from the bench. He shook off the freshly fallen snow that had made a home for itself on his trousers. Maps did the same.

"Hey, let's go back to my room. We can dry off there," Maps said and started walking towards the dormitories.

Damian looked back towards the hall. A few kids loitered about outside the large oak doors that lead the way inside but none of them were watching. Damian caught up with Maps in a few strides; he was quite a bit taller than her so it was easy. "Am I allowed in your room?"

"Probably not, but no one will know."

Damian didn't reply.

"You worried?" Maps looked at him with a sketchy look.

"They already kicked me out once because of you. Getting kicked out a second time will just be embarrassing."

Maps laughed at him, it was an honest, pure sound. Damian let out a chuckle.

"Do you wanna borrow a pair of trackies?" Maps asked when they were in the warmth of her bedroom that she shared with Olive.

"No, I'll dry against the radiator." Damian flicked the heat up to full. "Besides, I don't think your trackies would fit me."

"Sure they would," Maps said while she rummaged through her wardrobe.

"You're like a size 2." Damian leaned his butt against the warm radiator and crossed his arms.

Maps pulled out some red trackies and a black hoodie from her cupboard. "I can't tell if that was an insult."

"It was an observation."

"Okay," Maps rolled her eyes and then locked herself in the bathroom. A few minutes later she came out changed. She'd left her suit in a pile on the floor.

"Alfred would have a stroke if I did that to one of my suits."

"What… oh…" Maps twisted back around to see what he meant. "You mean leave it on the floor? I'll pick it up later." Maps plonked herself down on the edge of her bed. "Anyway, what do you wanna do now?"

Damian thought for a while. "I guess I owe you a dance."

Maps laughed. "A dance?"

"Yes, a dance, when one moves to the beat of the music with—"

"Geez, I know what a dance is. Can you actually dance?"

"Do you really think that the son of a billionaire playboy wouldn't know how to dance?"

"Should you really be calling your dad that?"

"I guess socialite is more polite." Damian shrugged. "Put on something good."

Maps flicked open the laptop, which had been resting on her lap, and typed something quickly. She snuck a quick peek at Damian before clicking play.

The music started and Damian immediately rolled his eyes. "When I said 'good' I didn't mean your idea of good."

"What, all I did was type in 'the best song ever' in the search bar and this is what came up." Maps said between giggles.

"-tt-, give me that." Damian strolled over and grabbed the laptop away from her. He typed in something himself and clicked play before setting the laptop down on his bed.

Maps' face lifted a little when she realised what song it was. "You like Queen?"

"Of course." Damian held out his hand for her. "Anyone with any good taste does."

Maps grinned and took his hand. He pulled her up from the bed and towards the centre of the room. Maps began to sing, not badly but not well either. "Ooh, ya makin' me live, whatever this world can give to me…"

Damian spun her outwards and inwards. They swayed and bounced and span. They were both sure that their dancing was awful but they were having enough fun that they didn't really care. Damian let her sing even though she sounded awful and he laughed at her every time her voice cracked on a note that was too high.

Halfway through the song the door swung wide open and Olive strolled in with Kyle in her wake, completely unaware of the dancing pair until the door had swung shut behind them. "Oh… oh my god… Sorry guys… I… we didn't mean to…" Olive stumbled. She looked to Kyle for help. Kyle didn't say anything, he only looked like he'd walked in horrendously disturbing.

Damian and Maps stepped away from each other. Maps' cheeks were a furious red; Damian tried to hide his blush by looking behind him and away from the newcomers. Maps backed towards her bed and slammed the laptop closed.

"Oh my God, were you two dancing?" Olive said. "That's adorable."

No one else said a word.

"You're so cute!" Olive walked up to Maps and hugged her tight.

"I'm gonna suffocate," Maps groaned.

Olive pulled out of the embrace but still held her shoulders. "I'm never gonna get over how cute you two are."

Damian scratched the back of his head.

"Are you okay, Olive?" Maps asked.

"I think someone spiked the punch, probably Colton," Kyle said. He looked sheepish and flighty which was very odd for Kyle who usually always looked confident. "She needs to go to sleep."

Olive hugged Maps again and closed her eyes tight. "I love you guys."

"Heh heh, I love you too Olive. Maybe it's time for bed."

"That's a good idea, Mapsy." Olive opened her eyes and spotted Damian. She smiled at him and winked. "Hey, Dami, do you wanna hug too?"

"Um, no thanks Olive, I'm alright thank you," Damian said. He held up his hands to defend himself but Olive came anyway and hugged him just as tight as she's hugged Maps. She pulled away and patted him on the head. "There there, Dami."

"Olive, bed," Kyle said.

Olive turned back to Kyle. "You're the best, Kyle, have I ever told you that?"

"Plenty of times."

Olive stumbled over to Kyle and hugged him too. "Okay," Kyle said as he lifted her up and carried her over to the bed where he gently lowered her onto it. He tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear and then pulled her covers over her. Olive was asleep in seconds.

Damian moved closer to Maps.

When Kyle had finished tucking Olive in he wanted to talk to Maps. Alone, in the bathroom, where he thought Damian wouldn't be able to overhear.

"What were you thinking?" Kyle hissed.

Maps said something which Damian couldn't quite make out.

"Letting him come to your room. What if you'd been caught? You'd be expelled."

"Nothing was going to happen. We just…"

"You are so lucky you weren't caught."

"What about Olive?"

"What about her?"

Damian's curiosity piqued. He moved closer to the door to hear better.

Maps dropped the volume of her voice. "You know, what if someone was trying to get her to use them? Her powers, I mean."

 _Powers_. _Powers like her mothers_. Damian stared at the sleeping girl that Maps was best friends with. If she had powers than this was bad, he had to tell his father.

"Colton spiked the punch. He's trying to sabotage her," Kyle said.

"What? But he likes her."

Damian started composing the text to his father. _To Father,_ it said. _Olive Silverlocke, daughter of Sybil Silverlocke apparently has powers now. They're probably the same as her mothers. What do we do? - Damian._

"Pom said he saw him do it. And Colton doesn't like Olive."

"But… he has a crush on her."

"No, he doesn't."

"Then why…"

"That doesn't matter. It's obvious it was him; he knows Olive loves punch and will just keep drinking it. But the point you made about her powers was something I hadn't thought of. What if he was trying to get her to use them so she'd get in trouble?"

"That doesn't make sense. Why would he be so weird around you and Olive if he didn't have a crush on her? Why would he try to hurt her?"

"I've told you that he doesn't like her. I know why he picks on her, but I can't really tell you."

"That's stupid, Kyle."

"Yeah, well I can't help that."

Damian sensed their conversation was coming to an end and moved back to where he had been before. It wasn't a moment too soon, as Maps slammed the bathroom door open and stormed out a few seconds later.

Damian leaned against the radiator. Maps gave him a weak smile.

"Ugh, you guys should probably get back to the dance. Don't want to wake up Olive."

"And you're just gonna sit there and watch her?" Maps giggled, back to her normal self.

"No, I was going to go for a run."

"You're so boring."

"Running is good for you, Maps," Damian said.

"Don't tell me you run too."

"Of course I do."

"Come with me sometime, Damian. It's always better to run with someone else."

"I tend to run with Titus."

"Titus, who's that?"

"His dog that's so cute and fluffy," Maps said before Damian could respond.

"Oh," Kyle said. His face morphed into that vicious grin that brothers got when they were going to make fun of their sibling. "She doesn't shut up about your dog. She was even planning to steal it."

"Kyle!"

Damian scoffed. "You wouldn't be able to steal Titus; he'd rip your head off if you tried."

Kyle's expression morphed into one of concern.

"-tt- no he wouldn't; he loves me," Maps said. It didn't go unnoticed that she had just tsked him.

"Well, go ahead and try and we'll see how much he loves you then."

Maps' face fell.

Damian laughed. "I was joking. Titus is a good dog, he'd only attack on command."

"Phew." Maps dramatically pulled the back of her hand along her forehead as if she was wiping away sweat.

"Why would you train your dog to attack on command?" Kyle asked, his forehead creased in concern.

"To use against Drake and Todd. He's also trained to bite Todd whenever he comes in the house. No one has figured that out yet."

"That's mean," Maps said. She crossed her arms over her chest; Damian felt the need to end the conversation quickly.

Damian shrugged.

Olive let out a loud snort from the bed which made Maps giggle and Kyle smile fondly.

"Anyway, let's go," Maps said. She grabbed a coat that had been lying on the floor and swung it around herself. "Bye, Kyle," she said as she walked through the door. Damian trailed behind.


	15. Chapter 15

**FIFETEEN**

Damian and Maps had been wandering around for a while; enjoying the snow and the quietness of Gotham city's alleyways at close to midnight. Damian loved this time of night but he rarely ever experienced it as Damian Wayne. Having a couple of weeks off because of his injury hadn't been as bad as thought, it meant he could do things normal kids would do, but that didn't mean he didn't miss being Robin.

As for why they were wandering the streets of Gotham instead of traversing the hot, sweaty crowds of the GA winter ball; that was Maps' doing. She'd had one more rule of her mother's that she'd wanted to break. Damian realised she'd do it without him anyway so it was better if he went with her than let her roam alone.

"Hey, aren't you cold?" Maps had asked him after about ten minutes silence.

"Nah," he had replied. "You get used to it." Not that he didn't feel the cold through the fabric of his blazer.

A few minutes after that Damian realised that they were being followed. A quick glance behind and he saw a shape slip into the shadows of an alleyway.

"Wait, Maps," Damian said.

Maps stopped and turned to look at him. Damian approached her. When he was close he leaned in and whispered into her ear, "Don't panic but we're being followed."

"Omg, this was such a bad idea." Maps' voice quivered when she spoke.

"Don't worry about that now, you'll be fine. You've just got to do what I say as soon as I say it," Damian said, he kept his voice level and smooth and spoke in only a whisper. He didn't want to frighten her; but he was sure these were Dollmaker's men, like the ones before.

"There's one behind you."

"I know."

Maps screamed just as he heard the swoop of the bat lifting above his head. Damian kicked hard behind him just where he guessed the guy's crotch was. He heard a rewarding grown as the guy fell down while clutching his extremities. Damian quickly spun round and grabbed the bat before his opponent could recover. He swung the bat at his head with a resounding _whoosh_ and the guy was out cold.

Damian kicked the guys body over and saw that he was wearing a mask made of human skin. "Dollmaker," Damian hissed quietly.

"What?" Maps said, trembling.

"I thought I told you not to panic."

"Sorry," Maps said. "Is that it?"

"No," Damian said. He spotted the massive woman, who was even bigger than the first guy, approaching Maps with a bat held high and in one fast movement pushed Maps behind himself and prepared to tackle the woman.

Right at the last second he parried her bat with his own and managed to knock it from her grasp. She retaliated with a clenched fist aimed at Damian's healing ribs. Damian involuntarily hunched over and clutched at his ribs, temporarily winded.

"Now scream, Maps," Damian said when he could speak.

Maps screamed but it was weak and fragile, it needed to be louder.

"Louder," Damian shouted. He felt the fat woman's boot collide with his face. The fat woman guffawed at Damian's groan of pain.

Maps screamed, this time it was one full of terror as she noticed more goons coming. That would do. Batman was patrolling this block tonight, if he heard a scream he'd come as soon as possible. Damian just had to keep them both safe until he was here.

Damian managed to avoid the next kick, which was more of a stomp, by rolling to the left onto his feet. The action hurt but he'd learnt a long time ago that pain was only painful if you let it be.

"Hey, Maps. Are you okay?" Damian asked as he moved in for his move on the woman. He couldn't turn away to look at her for risk of missing an attack from the woman.

"Yeah, no, not really. There's four of them coming towards me. Omg, what do I do?."

That was bad. "Okay, can you get to the bat that's on the floor?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Grab it and when one comes at you, swing as hard as you can." He circled the woman with his fists held high.

Damian kicked at his foe's face but her reflexes were faster than her size let on, she grabbed his ankle and pulled it towards her. Damian used the force of her pulling him towards her to land a satisfying punch to her face, her nose crunched beneath his fist. She let go of his ankle and he kicked, like a kangaroo, at her chest. She howled in pain. Damian grabbed the bat he must have dropped when he was on the floor and swung it into the side of the woman's head. Second one down.

Damian turned to see how Maps was doing. She was rabidly swinging her bat from side to side trying to keep Dollmaker's grunts at bay but it wasn't really doing much good as Maps wasn't really hitting them.

The boy charged with his bat and swung it at the lanky one which was closest to Maps. Lanky clutched his arm where he'd been hit and let out a howl. Damian wanted to hit him somewhere more damaging but couldn't have landed a clean shot anywhere that Maps could get in the way.

A shadow lurched down from above. It squished two of the grunts beneath it and then went on to the other one. Lanky screamed and Damian hit him round the back of the head with the bat, out cold.

Damian threw the bat aside. He was checking for further danger when he felt something collide into him. He tensed. He was about to throw off his attacker until he realised it was Maps. He tried to ignore the stinging-aching pain in his ribs.

"Hey, uh, Maps, are you okay?" Damian said. He hoped Batman was too busy to notice that Damian had a girl clinging to him, but that was unlikely.

He felt her nod her head against his body. "Mhmm."

"Would you mind releasing me?" He looked at Batman, still busy taking down the remaining two of the grunts.

Maps hung on a little longer before letting go.

"We're safe now right?" Maps asked. She looked up at him in an effort to catch his eye.

"Mhmm, yeah." Damian wanted nothing more than to be fighting alongside his partner.

"That's the holy freakin' Batman, isn't it?" Maps asked.

Damian looked down at her; her mouth was actually hanging open. He tsked. "No, Maps, that's Krypto the Superdog."

Maps chuckled. She brandished the bat that she was still holding and swung it about in the air a few times, looking like an idiot. "Hey, Damian, I think I make a great… bat-girl."

"And I thought Grayson's jokes were bad."

Damian watched as Batman dispatched the penultimate grunt with an uppercut to his jaw.

Maps prodded him with the bat in his ribs.

"Ouch, stop that."

"Oh, sorry. Are you hurt?" Maps dropped the bat and hurried to his side.

"I'm fine."

Before he could stop her she had lifted up his shirt and was looking at his wound. He didn't have to look himself to know how bad it looked, a massive purplish-red bruise had been there before the fight tonight but it was just a few broken ribs. Broken ribs always looked worse than they were. It probably looked worse now after being hit there again. "Oh my God, that's…"

"Hey." Damian pushed her hands away and pulled his shirt down. "That's private, Mia."

"But Damian, you're really hurt."

"It's nothing a little time off won't fix."

"Time off? Time off from what?" Maps asked. She moved towards him again but Damian stepped away.

"Forget I said that."

"You need to…" Maps trailed off as she noticed the figure stood behind Damian. He eyes and mouth both gaped open at the dark knight of Gotham. "Wow…"

Damian rolled his eyes and turned to face him.

Without a word Batman dropped a bunch of handcuffs into Damian's hands and ordered him to "cuff them."

Damian scowled but went off to do as he asked. He clasped the cuffs on the first one Damian had knocked out, who was already awake and mumbling about spaghetti, quickly and tightly around his wrists.

"This isn't the first time this has happened to you." Damian heard Batman say. He was making his voice even lower than he usually did.

"Uh, um, no, sir, it's, uh, not," Maps said.

Damian wanted to finish up the cuffing fast so he could get back and help Maps. The girl wasn't equipped to deal with Batman's questioning the way he was.

"Was it the same as last time?" Batman asked.

Damian was now onto the fourth crooks ankles.

"Well, um, Batgirl and—"

"Batgirl and Robin saved you, yes. What I mean is, are these criminals dressed the same as last time? Did they approach you the same way?"

"Um, yeah, they had those masks. But, um, they didn't come all at once this time. And there were more…"

"That's all I need." He said slowly, which meant he was planning something, something Damian wouldn't like. Damian finished up with the fifth and moved onto the sixth.

"Um, thank you Batman."

Damian finished cuffing the sixths wrists.

"What for?"

"For, um, saving me and Damian."

Damian finished with the sixth attacker and went to stand beside Maps. "Don't thank him yet, Maps."

"What?" Maps hissed into Damian's ear.

Damian crossed his arms over his chest. "He's planning something."

Damian noticed a slight twitch on Batman's lip.

"What is it, Batman?" Damian stared up at him, unblinking.

"There's a pattern with the kidnappings now, one I hadn't figured out before." Batman was letting his voice slip a little, Damian hoped he wouldn't betray himself to Maps just because he was talking to his son.

"Kidnappings? What kidnappings?" Maps asked. Her voice was becoming more fragile.

"Two girls so far, Tina McCarthy and Lisa Stoke," Damian said. "But what's the relevance to Maps?"

"It's the ages; Tina McCarthy is 16, Lisa Stoke is 15…"

"Maps is 14," Damian said. "They're picking the girls based on age. They're choosing them before they abduct them?"

"Yes," Batman said.

"But they couldn't be connected before because we thought it was random."

"She's the key, the only way to find where the girls are being kept and hopefully get to them…"

"No, you can't do that!" Damian said with a raised, but hushed, voice. "You can't seriously be thinking of using Maps as bait!"

Batman turned to look at Maps; he had an intense frown on his lips, a tell that he was about to ask something he didn't want to.

"Have you lost your mind?" Damian yelled.

"Wait, I'm really confused, those guys aren't muggers? They were trying to kidnap me?" Maps asked.

Damian nodded.

"But why?"

There was a long silence broken by the sound of police sirens.

"Get her home. Safe."

"Are you going to talk to the police?" Damian asked, his eyebrows raised.

"The commissioner, yes; but later."

Damian tsked and dragged Maps away and towards the academy.

"Omg you're so cool Damian, you actually shouted at Batman," Maps squealed as they disappeared. "And you can actually fight, where did you learn to fight like that?"

The corner of Batman's mouth twitched upwards as he watched them go.


	16. Chapter 16

**SIXTEEN**

Damian Wayne had always, at times, been disagreeable. But usually his disagreements came with those other than his father. This wasn't one of those usual times.

"This is crazy, father," Damian said as he paced around the floor of the Bat-cave. "Since when is using innocent civilians in this way an option when combatting bad guys."

"It's been done before," Bruce said from the chair in front of the Bat-computer. His cowl was off but he still had that air of authority to him that he only had when he wore a cape.

"Yeah sure, as hostages, Bruce; but what you're suggesting is allowing the girl to be taken by these thugs," Tim said. He looked almost as angry as Damian did.

"For once Drake speaks the truth. Listen to him, father."

"I don't see the problem," Jason said with a shrug of his shoulders. He was leaning his butt against the desk in front of the Bat-computer; something about him being that close to Bruce really irked Damian.

"Of course you wouldn't; you're a sociopath," Damian said which earned a chuckle from Jason.

"Let's not have any name calling, Master Damian," Alfred said. He was cleaning Two-face's giant coin, mainly because he wanted to listen in on the conversation.

"What do you think, Alfred?" Tim asked.

Alfred stopped his cleaning to give his piece. "I must agree with you and Master Damian, Master Tim, this is madness." Then Alfred went back to his cleaning.

"It's always wise to listen to your elders, father."

"Because you sure know how to listen, twerp," Jason said.

Everyone in the room turned to glare at Jason, even Titus who'd previously been munching on a chew toy.

"What?"

"You're one to talk," Tim said.

"That was one time."

"I recall many occasions when you didn't follow orders," Bruce said.

"Yeah, well, I learnt my lesson when I died and no one freakin' cared."

"Of course we cared, Jason," said Bruce.

"Sure you did," Dick said.

Jason glared at Dick. "Shut it, Dick. Stop trying to change the subject."

Bruce turned to look at Dick and Barbara who'd so far been almost silent in the conversation. "And what do you two think?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Dick asked.

Bruce said nothing.

"I think this is a really bad idea even if Maps wasn't way too young to be a part of a sting operation."

"She's older than Damian," Barbara said.

Dick turned to her, exasperated. "You aren't seriously defending this."

Barbara put her hands on Dick's shoulders in a calming manner. "I think we should explain the situation to her and see if the girl is willing to be a part of this before we plan anything else."

Damian groaned. "Of course she'll say yes to your plan, she's an idiot."

"Wait, do you guys know this Mia kid?" Jason asked.

"Yes," Damian growled. "Even you have met her."

"I have?"

"-tt- He has the memory of a goldfish, eh, Titus?" Damian scratched his dog's ears.

"Since when have I met her?"

"At that stupid superhero gala that father had."

Recognition filled Jason's face, followed by a smug grin. "Oh, your girlfriend."

"She is not—" Damian stopped talking when the others started laughing at him, all except Bruce. Damian growled. "Besides, father, the vote is four against two and a half."

"Why a half?" Barbara asked.

"Todd isn't smart enough for his to count as a whole vote."

"Ha ha, very funny."

Bruce stood up from his chair which signalled that the conversation was over. "Damian, you're too emotionally invested in this to form an unbiased opinion and you are injured so you won't be involved in the operation anyway."

"Bruce, that's not fair…" Dick said.

"You'd have to chain me up to stop me from being there, father."

"Barbara, you'll be the one to persuade her..."

"No, I'll talk to her," Damian said.

"Fine."

"Bruce, are you sure that's such a good idea?" Jason asked.

"Yes."

"Okay then." Jason moved over to Tim to fake whisper into his ear. "How much would you bet that Damian is in love with this chick?"

Tim laughed. He spoke in an equally fake whisper. "To be honest with you Jason, I think Damian is incapable of any kind of love."

"Nah, he likes her. He's like you when you're with..."

Tim elbowed Jason in the ribs.

"Hey, that hurt!"

"Good."

Barbara sighed. "Boys, can we please concentrate on the subject at hand." And so they discussed the mission.

An hour later, Damian was outside Maps' window dressed as Robin, waiting for an opportunity when Maps was alone to speak with her. He waited fifteen minutes for Olive and Pom to leave the room so he could knock on the window when only Maps, who was about to leave behind them, was left.

Maps looked around for the cause of the knocking and spotted a batarang leaning against the window ledge. She called to the others to tell them to go ahead without her and crept over to the window. The sound of rain pelted against it. She eased the window open and slowly poked her hand out to grab the batarang, ignoring the cold wetness that attacked her searching arm. That was when a figure appeared in front of her through the window and she nearly died of shock.

A few seconds passed and Maps managed to take control of her breathing again. Only then did she realise that the figure was Robin. She noticed the smug smile spread across his lips which were hidden in the shadows of his hood which was dripping water from the rain storm.

"Can I come in?" He said. His voice was deep.

Maps, in complete and utter amazement at the identity of her visitor, swung the window wide in invitation. "Of course."

Robin hopped through the window so smoothly that Maps couldn't figure out quite how he did it.

"You probably have a lot of questions," Robin said once he was inside and partially hidden by the shadows in Maps' room.

Maps shut the window behind him.

"But first I need you to just listen. Can you do that?" Robin asked.

Maps nodded.

Robin began speaking. "Over the past two months there have been two kidnappings. The first was a girl called Tina McCarthy who was 16 at the time of her disappearance; the second was a girl called Lisa Stoke who is currently, if she's still alive, 15. The GCPD have been investigating the cases but have not yet released any information on them because they believe that they are two separate incidents. We don't believe that's the case. The reason why I'm telling you all of this is because one of the cases bears a resemblance to the two attempted kidnappings of your person.

"An eye witness to the first kidnapping said that the men who took Tina McCarthy were wearing masks made of what looked like flesh, human flesh… the same masks as those who attempted to kidnap you."

Maps was beginning to feel very sick. The mention of masks made of human flesh only made her feel worse; she hadn't realised that was what they were when she had seen them.

"Are you familiar with the name Barton Mathis?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, that's the Dollmaker, isn't it?" Maps' voice was much weaker than usual. "Has he escaped?"

"No," Robin said. "We believe the kidnappings are being orchestrated by a copycat. Mathis is still in his cell in Arkham."

"Are the other two girls alive?" Maps asked.

Robin frowned. "We don't know that yet. We haven't been able to find them."

"What's gonna happen to me?" Maps asked. "Do I have to stay inside until this copycat gets caught?"

Robin let the conversation stay still for a moment. When he eventually spoke he did so while looking down with his hood covering most of his face. He sounded mournful when his words dripped out. "There is a way you could help."

"Help? How?"

"What's being proposed is a sort of sting operation. You get taken by this copycat's men and in turn you lead us to wherever the other girls are being kept."

Maps didn't say anything. She didn't want her voice to betray her fear.

"I, for one, think it's a terrible idea."

Maps spoke in a voice so quite it was nearly drowned out by the rain clambering on the window panes. "If I don't help you, you might never find them. Or you might find them too late."

"That's right. But you really don't have to say yes to this."

"If you had the chance to help save someone by putting yourself in danger, would you?" Maps asked.

"I do that all the time."

Maps was now resolved with what she had to do. She had to be a hero like the one's she admired. "I'll do it."


	17. Chapter 17

**SEVENTEEN**

The streets of Gotham were a scary place when you walked through them at night, knowing that danger waited round every dark corner. They were especially so when you knew, for certain, when that danger lurked there specifically for you to walk into it.

Maps thought back to the instructions she'd been given earlier by Red Robin.

"1) Swallow this tracker pill – that way we can always find you in the unlikely event that we lose your trail. 2) This is a comm link, put it in your ear – we can hear you and you can hear us when you click this button." At this point he had pointed out the button to Maps. "If you need us or at any point want immediate extraction, say the safe word 'Extraction' and we'll be there."

At this point the Red Hood had made a joke "You use that when you're with the ladies, Red?"

To which Robin had replied "You're sick in the head." All of the others who were there—which consisted of Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Red Robin—seemed unamused by the joke too.

Red Robin had ignored Red Hood though. "3) When you are set upon by the attackers remember to act scared and try to run away, you need to make them think their attack is unexpected so that they don't get suspicious. 4) Don't say anything about us following you and don't address us directly through the comms. 5) Good luck, we'll see you soon." And after that the whole bunch of them had flown, or at least grappled up to the top of the roofs above to follow her from up there while Maps traversed the streets at ground level on her own.

After a few minutes of walking, Maps was set upon. There were three of them this time. They must have been lurking around the same area, or following her for them to find her. They encircled her. Maps screamed and tried to run under the arms of one of the masked crooks but they caught her with their calloused, rough hands and pushed her to the unloving concrete floor.

Maps hit her head as she went down. She saw the needle that one of them procured from her pocket but didn't see or feel it go in. And then everything faded to darkness.

Robin jerked forward when he saw the needle. Only Batman's hand on his chest stopped him from leaping down and stopping them right there. The gloved hand reminded him that they had a bigger mission than just Maps and, as much as he hated it, it was one he had to follow. It was probably only a sedative.

The bat-family watched as the thugs took the sedated Maps into the shadows.

"Red Robin, you got that tracker online?" Batman asked.

"Yes," Red Robin said. "They're taking her towards Fifth Avenue."

Batman nodded. "Okay, Robin and Nightwing, you follow them by sight. Red Robin, go with them and keep an eye on the tracker."

The three that were mentioned pulled out grappling guns and shot themselves over to the roofs the other side of the alley and followed the men on foot.

"The rest of us will get the transport."

"Where do you think they're going?" Robin asked in a hushed voice.

"I dunno," Nightwing said.

"I meant Batman and the others."

Nightwing and Red Robin both shrugged

"Great."

"So, where do you think they're going?" Red Robin asked.

"Somewhere bad," Nightwing said. After a few moments of silence he spoke again. "I don't like this plan."

"I forgot how much you love to talk," said Robin.

After following the thugs for a while they came up to Fifth Avenue just as Red had predicted.

The boys watched from the top of a building as the thugs carried Maps towards a parked black van. After a few nervous looks around the deserted street the thugs opened the back doors of the van and, none too gently, threw their captive inside before all clambering in themselves.

"Shit," Red Robin said. "What's the plate?"

Robin pulled out a pair of binoculars. "JB D52M, it's a New Jersey plate."

Red Robin turned on his comm-device. "They just got into a black van, number plate JB D52M, you got that Bats?"

"Yes, where are they now?" said Bats through the comm's.

"Fifth Avenue, They're just pulling away now." As Red spoke the van pulled away and headed toward the town centre, the details of which he relayed onto Batman and the others

A few moments later the Bat-mobile and two bikes zoomed past in pursuit of the van. "You boys go get your bikes and follow the tracker," said Batman's voice in their ears.

It wasn't exactly a car chase. The trio of heroes had to keep themselves well back of the van so that the thugs inside didn't realise they were being followed and freak. The Bat-family had to make it look as though they were on patrol on the roads, meaning careful manoeuvring was needed to keep the van driver unsuspicious.

It wasn't until they were off the main roads that the contents of the van realised they had been tailed and began driving erratically but by that point the destination was almost revealed. The Bat-family was forced to give up chase a couple of blocks away from crime alley when an old lady on a cycle fell into the road behind the van. Any sooner and she'd have been hit by the thugs. Red Hood and Batman left Batgirl to deal with the old lady once she was out of harm's way.

The pair left their vehicles and continued on towards crime alley, it was a good guess that the thugs were there.

When they arrived there was no one in the alley, no black van. It was as miserable as every other time Bats had been there. Being here, the place where his parents were murdered, sent a spear through Bat's heart. The only thing on the street was a ragged tabby cat picking at abandoned litter and a bundle of clothes sheltering itself under the dull light of a streetlamp.

Batman spoke into the comm. "Red Robin, does the tracker show Maps is in Crime Alley?"

There was a brief moment of static before Red replied. "Yes, Bats, we're on our way now. Why would you ask that?"

"Because we lost them."

"You what?" Robin growled.

Batman ignored Robin's anger. "Do you know which building she's in?"

"No," Red Robin said. "The tracker's not that sensitive because it needed to be biodegradable and small enough for her to swallow. It only shows the general vicinity of the location. You were supposed to be following them, what happened?"

Batman frowned. He flicked off the comm, Robin's shouting and Red Robin's shouting was making it hard to think. "Tell Batgirl where to find us," he said to Red Hood.

Batman walked away from his ex-protégé to study the decrepit buildings that lined the street. They couldn't search every single one of them, it would take hours. But there wasn't really a better option.

"So, what happens now that we lost her?" Red Hood came up beside Batman after he'd finished with Batgirl.

"I don't know."

"Well, that inspires confidence. Pretty sure brat-boy's not gonna be happy with you that you lost his girlfriend. What's the plan Bats?"

"Wait for the others."

"Wait a second, are you having second thoughts?"

At that moment Batgirl appeared in the alley and slunk over to where the other two were lurking in the shadows. She'd also ditched her bike.

"Hey, Barbie," Red Hood said. His voice was a little lighter and more playful than usual.

"Don't call me that." Batgirl's voice was a little more aggressive than usual.

Batman hadn't realised that there was something growing between them. He wondered if Dick knew. He might have smiled at his thoughts if they weren't in the situation they were currently in.

A dozen minutes after that the others arrived while batman was still struggling with a plan. All three of them wore scowls beneath their domino masks.

"I can't believe you lost her," Robin said.

Nightwing rested a hand on Robin's shoulder. "What happened?" he asked. 

"You were supposed to be following them," Red Robin said.

"Things didn't go quite to plan." Batgirl explained about their holdup.

"-tt- You're all fools," Robin said.

Nightwing stepped in between the two groups. "Look, guys, we've got three girls to save, can we leave the bickering until later and come up with a strategy."

"The only strategy is to search every god-damn falling down building in this place and that would probably alert them to our presence," said Red Hood.

"We have to think of something," Robin said.


	18. Chapter 18

**EIGHTEEN**

When Maps came to she was in a completely different place than the alleyway she'd lost consciousness in. She was inside but she could feel a breeze flowing from somewhere. The room was dark, almost pitch, and there was a faint smell of burnt wood covered by an overbearing odour of mould. The room was mostly bare, with only a few decaying bits of furniture scattered about.

Maps tried to move but she was tied to something by her wrists and ankles. She was mostly upright although tilted a little biasedly toward the ceiling so she had no view of the ground beneath her.

She struggled more strongly against her bonds but was cut off by a sharp, child-like giggle.

Maps scanned the room. Hidden in the darkness of one of the corners was a silhouette of a small figure even though it was bigger than a child.

Maps tried to speak but only a garbled stuttering came out.

Whoever was there laughed. "Oh, silly, the sedative hasn't worn off quite yet, you won't be able to talk for a while. Heh heh." It was the voice of a young woman trying too hard to sound young and innocent but it was sickly to Maps' ears and made the girl want to throw up.

Maps tried again but still only produced an inaudible mumble.

The figure took a step into a more visible part of the room. She was blonde, young and probably quite beautiful underneath the full face mask that she was wearing. And she wore a revealing version of a white nurse's robe which was garnished with splatters of blood. "You're probably wondering why I had you bought here." The woman moved closer towards Maps and the girl struggled again to get free. "Well, it's because you are very beautiful and I want that beauty to last forever." The woman was close enough now that when she reached a bloody glove towards Maps cheek she could touch it.

Maps squeezed her eyes shut and tried to hide the tears of fear welling up in them. Why had she agreed to this?

The woman continued. "My father understood this and so do I now. Beauty is only with us when we are young. We must preserve those who still have it so that it will last for eternity."

Maps yanked her head back away from the woman's hand but hit it on the wall behind her.

"Oh, don't get impatient little one. We must attend to our last doll before we get to you. But I'll be back soon. Heh heh." The woman leaned towards Maps and kissed her on the cheek; Maps caught a whiff of her sour breath and fought the urge not to spew all over herself.

The woman disappeared from view and a moment after that, Maps heard a door somewhere behind her slam.

Maps waited a few seconds before trying to escape from her bonds but as much as she wriggled she couldn't gain any freedom. The cuffs that held her were cold and made of some kind of metal that chaffed at her skin whenever she moved.

After a few more failed attempts Maps gave up and slumped in her prison, defeated. She felt the tears leak out of her eyes but stayed silent. She was too scared to make any noise in case the woman or one of her cronies came back.

Where were Batman and the others? They were supposed to save her. Could it be that they'd forgotten about her? Did they not care?

Maps wriggled some more before she remembered about the comm-device in her ear. If only she could reach it somehow and get to them. But there was no way with her hands bound… unless… there was a way to free her hand. But how did they do it in the movies? They broke their thumbs didn't they? But how did they do that?

Maps tried pulling the thumb on her right hand with her index finger but all it did was make it click. It wasn't broken. She tried again but this time she pushed with all of her fingers from the tip and even when it hurt she kept going until she felt the bone snap and a jolt of pain. She cried out loud but stopped herself short. For a couple of minutes she didn't move until she was sure no one was coming. Then she very slowly, carefully, and painfully pulled her hand through the restraint.

She lifted her shaking hand up to her ear and pressed the button that would link her to Batman and crew. "Extraction," she said weakly when she heard the beep that told her she was connected.

There was a lot of mumblings and shuffling on the other side until she heard the voice of Batman in her ear. "Where are you Maps?"

"I d… don't know. Why don't yu… you know?"

"We lost track of you."

"But…"

"The tracker isn't specific enough to pinpoint your exact location," said one of the others, she wasn't sure whether it was Nightwing or Red Robin or Red Hood. "We know you're in crime alley but not exactly where in crime alley. Can you describe your surroundings to us?"

"I…" Maps broke into a fit of shaking sobs.

"Maps? Maps?" It was Robin. "Are you okay?"

She sniffed up the tears. "Not really."

"Keep listening to me and tell me if there's anything unusual about your surroundings." Robin took over from the others.

"I can't… it's… it's too dark."

"Focus, what do you see, is there moonlight? Windows? An oven? Beds?... Anything that would indicate what type of room you're in?"

Maps squinted in the darkness. She looked for any clue and when she spotted one she produced a small squeal. When she'd turned to her head to her left she was looking at herself.

"Are you okay?"

"There's a mirror here." Maps craned her head as far as she could round to her left and saw that the mirror stretched further along the wall. "Well, there's more than one."

"Anything else?"

Maps heard a crash outside and sucked in her breath. She waited with her eyes squeezed shut, hoping desperately that it didn't single the arrival of some sinister enemy.

"Maps, are you still there?" Robin sounded flustered.

"Yes, I… uh…" Maps looked around the room some more. "Um, it's long and narrow, the room I mean."

"Good, now, can you see any windows?"

"No, but there could be some behind me."

"Okay, can you tell me anything else?"

"Um…" Maps squinted for something else. "There's not really anything else, um… hey, I think I can see a shower."

"So you're possibly in a bathroom."

"No, there's more than one shower, there's three."

There was some quiet mumblings on the other end that Maps couldn't quite figure out before Robin spoke again. "We have an idea on your location."

"Where am I?"

"Do you know what a dressing room looks like? In a theatre?"

Maps thought for a moment. "I think so."

"Does it look like where you are used to be one?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, yeah, it does."

"We'll be there soon."

After a few moments of silence she spoke again. "Can you keep talking to me?" Her voice watery thin.

"Nah, we won't." This time it wasn't Robin who spoke, it was one of the others but she wasn't sure which.

"Ignore him," said Batgirl. "We'll try to keep talking but it'll be safer if you don't talk back, they might hear you."

"Okay," Maps said.


	19. Chapter 19

**NINETEEN**

A few minutes later, after it had gone silent on the other end, a couple of thugs wearing those creepy masks came in. Maps carefully pushed her hand back through the cuff; she bit her lip to stop herself crying out in pain.

The masked men came over to Maps and grabbed her wrists and unlocked the cuffs that bound them. They then did the same with her ankles. Maps waited to be freed before trying to escape. She tried kicking at the men but they were fast and strong and easily had her feet pinned back with their own while they held onto her wrist.

"Hey, get off of me!"

One of the men moved in only inches away from Maps' face; she could smell the rotting flesh of the mask and started gagging, trying hard not to spew. He laughed and moved his face away.

Then the woman came in, the one dressed as a nurse. She stamped over to where Maps was being held and spat at her feet. "This is all your fault, you led them here."

"Who?" Maps asked.

"Oh, you know who. How did they follow you?"

"Who?"

The woman reached up and grabbed Maps' ear, the same one the comm-device was in, and twisted it. Maps yelled out in pain and tears welled up in her eyes. When the masked woman let go the comm-device fell out of Maps' ear and clattered on the floor.

Maps gulped as the woman bent down to retrieve the device. "This, this is how they found us?" She stood up abruptly and turned to one of her minions. "You idiots, you didn't search her!"

Maps felt them tense up beside her. "No, mam, we forgot."

"I'd kill you if I had time. But unfortunately I only have enough for this one." She looked at Maps with a mischievous light in her eyes.

Maps screamed "Help! Help!" Before duct tape was shoved over her mouth and she was silenced. Maps struggled against the men but there was no use, they were both so much stronger than her.

"Cuff her back up. I can't work with her wriggling like an ant."

The men did.

"Now get out and stop our guests from coming in and distracting me."

The men left after dropping the keys to the locks on the floor.

The masked woman was behind Maps and she spoke with a viciously sweet voice. "Now sweetie, since you've been such a nuisance I'm going to make this very, very painful."

Maps was sobbing so much that she could barely see what was in front of her.

She walked in front of Maps and was holding a needle. She tilted her head sideways and appraised Maps with her eyes, flicking the needle side to side like a pendulum. But then the needle stopped ticking and dropped to the floor. The woman howled out in anguish. "No, no! What did you do? You stupid child! What did you do?" She grabbed Maps' broken thumb and squeezed it in her hand. Maps cried out in pain again and the woman laughed. Her voice lowered and became more gravelly. "I guess I'll just get to kill you my own way."

"Get away from her!" A voice called from near the door.

Maps felt relief surge through her like a great wave.

"Robin?" Maps couldn't see him behind the woman but she was sure it was him, she recognised his voice.

The woman grabbed a blade that had been hidden in the folds of her pocket and tucked it under Maps' neck. Maps felt the blade nip her skin and a drop of warm blood slip over her skin.

The woman stepped to Maps' side to allow Robin to see her predicament. "Don't come near us," she shrieked. "Or I'll slit her throat."

Robin didn't move. "Let her go."

"Leave, or I'll kill her."

"You'll kill her if I leave," Robin said. Maps noticed him slowly creeping his hand towards his utility belt.

The woman laughed. "You're a smart little twerp, aren't you?"

"Yeah, well, what can I say? I'm kind of an expert with this sort of thing." Getting the bad guy to talk was a tactic that Robin had learned from Nightwing back when he was Batman; it was a way of distracting them; he'd never say it out loud but Robin had found it advantageous on many occasions.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, which is why I know this is all going to turn out the way I want it to."

The woman growled. She grabbed Maps by her hair and pulled her head back hard against the upright bed that Maps was cuffed to.

Maps saw stars in front of her eyes and felt tears spill over the edge of them. The knife cut a little deeper into Maps' neck. Why was he making the woman angrier?

"You're going to rot in Arkham with your father. And I'll be the one to send you there." Robin took a step forward and grabbed something from his belt.

"How did you know about father?" The woman screamed.

"Matilda Mathis, that's who you are, right? Barton Mathis' equally deranged daughter. Tried to take up the family business after he left. How's that working out?"

"I'll kill you too…you scrawny little bastard!"

Robin pulled out a batarang and aimed it perfectly in the centre of the woman's hand that was holding the knife. The woman screamed and grabbed her hand that had a batarang buried in it. The knife went flying. Robin ran up to her and kicked her in the knees before she had a chance to react.

She swung a bloody fist at Robin's head with a screech. Robin easily ducked underneath and jabbed her windpipe. The woman dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

"Oh no." Robin dropped to his knees to check for a pulse and breathed out a sigh of relief when he found one. He tied her hands and wrists and moved over to Maps.

He pressed his hand against the wound in her neck. "I've got Maps and the leader of all this," he said into his comm-link. "Are you alright?" he asked softly.

Maps burst into a fit of uncontrollable sobbing.

"Okay, I'll get you out." He bent down and grabbed the keys off the floor before placing his hand back on the wound on Maps' neck. With his right hand he unlocked Maps' hand cuffs then bent down to do her ankles while she held the wound on her neck.

When Maps was out she dropped into a seating position on the floor. Her eyes were wide and the tears kept flowing.

Robin bent down and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, you're safe now."

"Th… that was r… really scary."

"You were really brave, Maps. Because of you we were able to get to Lisa Stoke, you saved her," Robin said.

"Wh… what about T… Tina?" Maps looked him in the contacts of his mask. He was taken in by how beautiful her shiny brown eyes were.

"She… didn't make it." Robin looked down at the floor.

Maps looked like she was about to say something but before either of them really knew what she was doing she'd wrapped her free arm around his waist and buried her head in his chest. Robin froze briefly before carefully unpeeling her from him.

"I'm sorry?" Maps said.

"Don't worry. You're safe now." Robin gave her a small smile.


	20. Chapter 20

**TWENTY**

It was a week later when Maps found the note pinned to her dorm room window.

A lot had happened since then. Most of it legal requirements; a lot of it familial. She'd had to testify at court and had spent a lot of time talking with the police, giving them her statement and lying about some parts. Her parents had come home and left again and Kyle had refused to let her out of his sight except at night when she was in the trusted watch of Olive. Maps was exhausted from it all.

Maps opened the window and reached out to grab the note. She unfolded it. _Meet me by the fountain, R._ It read.

Olive came up behind and read it over Maps' shoulder. "You're not thinking of going, are you?"

Maps turned around to face Olive and stuck her nose up in the air. "It's none of your beeswax my dear friend, Olive."

Olive rolled her eyes. "I don't trust him Maps, I don't trust any of them."

Maps frowned. "Well, maybe you should, ya know? They're only trying to help."

"They'd help more if they told us who they were."

"You don't feel that way about other superheroes."

"Yeah, but they tell us things."

"What, like Superman?"

"Yeah, he doesn't wear a mask."

"But we still don't know who he is. He still has a secret identity."

Olive scoffed. "How'd you know that?"

"Damian told me."

"How would _he_ know that?"

Maps shrugged.

"I don't trust _them_ either."

"You don't trust anyone, Olive!"

"Sure I do, you, and Kyle, and Pom, and…"

"I'm going to go now." Maps slipped past Olive and grabbed a coat. She slid through the door which she got out of just in time to shut in front of Olive's face.

When Maps got to the fountain there was no one there. Maps looked around but there was no sign of him. She shivered in the cold and amused herself by blowing clouds of frost from her lips.

"Hey," he said from less than two feet behind her.

"Holy Batman, you scared me." Maps span around to face him. "How'd you get behind me so fast."

Robin shrugged. "I'm a ninja."

"What did you want?" Maps crossed her arms and gave him the angriest glare she could muster.

Robin tilted his head upwards. "How's the neck and thumb?"

"Good, thanks." Maps lifted her thumb up and moved it back and forth. "Still hurts a little when I move it though. And my neck's alright."

"You got yourself a battle scar."

Maps laughed. "If Batman needs to replace you ever, tell him I'm all ready. Got the scars and everything."

"-tt- You'd never be Robin."

Maps frowned. "Did you want something? Or did you really come all the way out here to ask me how I was doing?"

Robin's lips twisted into a smug smile. "Ah, you got me."

"What?"

Robin grew serious. "I want to tell you something that I really shouldn't."

"Oh, I love secrets." Maps clapped her hands together and hopped up and down. She grinned from cheek to cheek.

"I can't." Robin turned away.

"Oh, please, please, please. I'm really good at keeping secrets. I promise I'll never tell anyone. Never, ever, ever."

When Robin turned around he was smiling, real smiling. "You're… cute, did you know that, Maps?"

Maps' face went blood red. "Well, uh, no, but thanks."

Robin bit his lip and furrowed his brow in thought. "See, if it was only my secret I was telling I'd just tell you. But, it's not just my secret."

Maps said nothing.

"But Batman has told much less trustworthy characters than you."

Maps nodded as if she knew what she was talking about.

"And Nightwing let the whole of spiral know, which was really bad."

Maps stopped herself from asking what on earth he was on about. She got the sense he was trying to figure out something very important.

"And they never have to know that you know."

"Sure," Maps said.

Robin paused for a moment before speaking. "See, Maps, if I tell you this, you can never tell anyone that you know. It's a secret you must take to the grave with you."

"Whoa, I am not dying anytime soon."

"I know, it'll be a long time you have to keep this secret. It'll be hard."

"But, I'll keep it. I promise. Whatever it is." Maps hugged herself and did her best to look innocent and trustworthy. "Unless it was you who stole all the cookies from the cookie jar. Then I'll tell everyone."

Robin thought for a moment and spoke with a deadly serious tone. "I have no idea who stole the cookies, but I'll find them and they'll pay for it."

Maps laughed so hard her stomach hurt.

"What?"

"It was a joke! God, you people are so serious." Maps was still laughing.

Robin tilted his head back. Shook his head from side to side a few times and sighed. He looked at Maps. Maps' laughter had run dry by this point. He reached up to his mask. His lip twitched.

Maps watched him in rapt awe, every second dragged its feet to the next as if it was stuck in molasses.

He pulled off the mask…

So many thoughts rushed through her head at once. Shock, confusion, annoyance, anger, jealousy, joy, pride… But all she could do was stare.

"Maps, please say something."

Maps' mouth opened and closed like a goldfish.

He walked towards her and put his hands on her shoulder. "Maps?"

"Damian!" Maps spluttered. "You're… no way!"

"Don't shout so loud."

"Damian freckin' Wayne. This is a joke." Maps went to slap him but he caught her hand in his and twisted it so their hands were entwined together.

"It's not a joke."

"You're not Robin, you can't be. You're too… you."

"And what exactly is it about me that makes it impossible for me to be Robin?" Damian was beginning to sound peeved. He dropped Maps' hand and crossed his arms.

Maps giggled. "You're trying to impress me. I knew it." Maps pinched his cheek lightly. "Damian Wayne has a widdle cwush."

"I do not."

"You sure do."

"Why exactly don't you believe me?"

"Well, first of all you're rich, why would a rich person be Robin?"

"Being a superhero is a very costly extra curriculum activity. You would not believe how much this suit cost."

"Yeah, well, you haven't been in America long enough to be Robin. Robin's been around a lot longer than three years."

"There's been more than one Robin. Anything else?"

"Yes, um… I can't think of anything else."

"Do you believe me now?"

"You're not joking, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Wow," maps said. Maps reached out and touched the _R_ on the Robin suit. She looked at his feet. "Well, you were right, Robin's boots are green."

Damian chuckled and his chuckle morphed into a small smile.

"Does your Dad know?" Maps asked.

"Is it not obvious that if I'm Robin, my father is Batman?"

"No way! That's even crazier than you being Robin."

"I've always wondered why no one has figured us out but I guess the world must be as dim as you."

Maps tried to slap him again but he caught her hand again and didn't let go.

"So, does that mean that Tim's Nightwing?"

"-tt- No."

"Okay, then Dick is and Tim is Red Robin."

Damian frowned. "Okay, but please stop guessing now."

"Then who's Red Hood and Batgirl and Huntress? And does Alfred know? And do you know who other Superheroes are? Like, oh, Shazam and Booster Gold?"

"Everyone knows who Booster Gold is."

"Yeah, I know, I was just testing you."

"Maps."

"And omg, have you met Wonder Woman? And is Titus friends with Krypto?"

"Maps." Damian chuckled. "You can figure this out later."

"You don't understand; this is the best thing that's ever happened to me!" She leaned in close to him and whispered. "You're a superhero!"

"-tt-"

"You are the coolest person I know!"

Damian smiled and shook his head. "There's something else."

"Ohmigod, what?"  
Damian leant in and kissed Maps lightly on the cheek. They both flushed bright red.

"You _do_ have a crush. On me?"

Damian looked away embarrassed.

Maps let go of Damian's hand and leant against him for a hug, her leg kicked up behind her. Damian laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "Yeah, well maybe I do."

"Whoa, there Damian Wayne. You don't want to give away all your secrets. You won't be a mystery anymore."

"Oh, I still have plenty of secrets Maps, don't you worry," he said, grinning into her shoulder.


End file.
